Haunted By Love
by DR.Peppergrl
Summary: She was a disease, contaminating him and crawling beneath his skin. She infected him without his knowledge and seeped into his icy veins. There was no cure. Nothing that would rid what she had caused to inflict this horrid pain in his frozen heart. She was haunting his head with her voice. She was haunting him. She was a ghost.
1. Mysterious Crimson Eyes

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

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Chapter One - Mysterious Crimson Eyes

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"KAREN!"

The roar of my name hit the walls and sent brief fear to zap down my spine. Stumbling like a madman in a darkened room, I yanked open the door and rushed out into the cool night. Sharp wind cut through the sky and brought with it the daggers of steadily falling rain, where it laughed insanely as it sliced into delicate skin. Hissing, I touched my cheek, as the rain _really _did seem to be piercing my skin. I withdrew and eyed the fresh blood. The liquid glittered like ruby gems and the color was ominous – red was so ominous.

"Karen," slurred a voice, "stop!"

I reacted violently by spinning on my heels. Water spiraled in graceful arcs from my worn sneakers. I willed myself to keep going amidst the heavy-laden voice echoing in the air. The end of the street was approaching and I stopped. It was a stupid move but something seemed to compel me back. There was this voice – a warning for me to take heed or my actions could change everything.

Eying the redbrick building of home, or what had been home for as long as I could remember, I turned a sad eye over the hand painted sign. The words, surrounded by multicolored hand prints, read 'HOUSE OF LAUGHTER'. The name called out to me, like a mother calling for her children, but it was too late to respond to the ghostly mother. Memories of a long gone childhood flashed violently within my mind in a last attempt to keep me from running. It took every ounce of strength within me to remove myself from the screaming nostalgia.

"Karen," a man stumbled out of the building.

I took a tiny step back and he whirled violently.

"Don't do this," he pleaded, "don't run."

I turned away to shut out the memories and pull myself from it's grasping hands. I clutched the straps of my bag and held it like a lifeline while tearing past the pedestrians cluttering the sidewalk. Each step sent up a wave of water but also carried me further away. I kept shooting glances over my shoulder, eying the shadows that flashed across the walls – an extension of my fear.

Turning sharply, I shot down an alley. In the frenzy, I could not prevent myself from tripping over a stray trashcan. I rolled past the fallen trash, only to scramble back, as the screech of fleeing rats startled me. Panting, I forced myself to calm down. The cool, grimy surface of the alley wall was a welcomed respite for my weary bones and I leaned against the bricks with a groan.

From the corner of my eye, there was movement. Lazily, I turned my head to stare through half-lidded eyes. It was the city.

Neon lights flashed in bursting colors to alert the world that beyond the alleyway was the more lively part of New York City, where musicians cluttered the streets and vacationers explored the multitude of nightclubs. Couples and families were strolling past, each with bright eyes and excited smiles, all dressed in their weekend best. I smiled tiredly as their giggles echoed into the night, along with the sounds of music and the roaring engines of passing cars.

Searching my pockets, I felt a wad of cash. I thumbed through the wrinkled bills, taking note of how much there was and how long it would actually last. _Not long, _I thought with a grimace. _It never lasts long. _Stuffing the bills back, I reached up and set my hood in place to keep out the rain – or to burrow away inside myself. I climbed slowly, back to reality- life- and sauntered toward the street.

My eyes remained glued to the ground, as I was sure that if eye contact was made, someone would see too far into my soul. So deep in scattered thoughts, I was startled into a jerk when a warm body collided against me. Glancing up, I smiled apologetically at the young woman, but she was glaring with judging eyes, as she cuddled against her boyfriend – husband – who knew? I stepped to the side and allowed them to pass before continuing down the busy sidewalk. After a few minutes, the sounds of honking cars, laughter, and voices became too much to bear. I began running.

I needed to be alone.

Reaching a crossroad, I searched the street signs. It only took a moment longer to decide on my destination before I was sprinting away from the bright lights of a too lively city. Heading toward the center of the city, I soon reached the park. It was deserted, as I had known it would be, because who would want to hang out in the park when one could go to a hip club or hang out with friends – why me, of course!

Hauling myself to a nearby bench, I plopped down with a well-needed groan. I allowed aching limbs to rest while the fatigue seeped within trembling bones. Passing time, I picked at the faded, red paint of the bench until the brittle coat cracked and turned into powder, then fluttered to the ground.

_What are you going to do now, _asked my mind as I watched the rain create puddles.

…

_And school, Karen, what about that?_

…

_What about food, Karen – you're going to starve!_

…

_Karen, what about Maria_, it asked relentlessly. _What are you going to do now, huh?_

_I don't know, I don't know, I DON'T KNOW!_

Flinging back the hood, I lifted my head and hoped the rain would wash away those annoying thoughts, but I knew it would only cause a cold.

Seventeen, I was only seventeen. I was still a child – a minor – in the eyes of the government, so there was hardly anything I could do, except run and try to make it like others before me.

_No, _I argued. _That won't work._

A job required information, which I did not have, because my records were kept at the orphanage. Apartments needed references, which I did not have, again, because my records were kept at the orphanage. Money was needed for food, shelter and life in general – and I had money, but barely enough to provide some comfort for a few weeks. I could try it. I'd get a job, hopefully get paid under the table, or two jobs, but – I was so close to finishing! I only had half a year of school left and my eighteenth birthday was approaching (still a long ways, but approaching)! And Jesse, the orphanage's owner, had probably already informed the authorities of my departure. So why bother running?

It was instinct, pure instinct, and at the time it was about the only thing I knew how to do.

For me, running was an easy solution.

-Flashback-

Unable to sleep, I stared up at the ceiling as the clock hands approached midnight. I wasn't thinking of anything in particular, merely staring, and would have kept zoning away until it was disrupted by the sound of heavy boots.

Turning, I watched light flicker beneath the doorway. This luminosity caused shadows to dance within the crack. A second later and the footsteps stumbled away, probably down the hall – what they had been doing for many nights.

I sighed and decided to sleep, or maybe I was trying to sleep before the man began his nightly routine of arguing with the woman at the end of the hall. It was a nightly occurrence, where he arrived home late, drunk as a dog, staggering and arguing for hours with the woman.

Already, Jesse, the drunken man, had reached his destination and began banging on a door. A muffled voice answered back, Maria, and like every night, they hissed at one another. Over what, well, Jesse's drinking for one –

A scream tore through the house and I bolted upright in bed. Tossing the blankets, I ran over to the door and skid out into the hall. At the end of the hall, a door slammed shut with such force the walls trembled. I strode forward with the hesitant footsteps of a skittish gazelle. On either side of the hallway, curious heads were peeking out of the various rooms. Waving my hands, I shooed the small children back into worn beds.

"Get off me!" I turned toward the door and twisted the knob violently, as Maria's struggles reached my ears.

"Maria," I banged on the door with the palm of my hand, "Maria!"

Eyes burning, I blinked away the oncoming tears of fear. There was a loud smack from within the room and I reeled back in horror. Immediately, Marie's voice died down and the silence was frightening. In a desperate attempt to help Maria, I rammed into the worn out door. It gave away easily – the rusty lock too weak to hold up. And it was lucky thing, for I was not very strong and would have seriously injured myself. The door swung open and hit the wall with a deafening crash. I stumbled from the abrupt action and hit the floor.

"M-Maria," stuttering, I righted myself with a grimace.

A half conscious Maria was sprawled atop the bed and shaking her head in an effort to come to her senses. Jesse was leaning over her with a splayed open shirt. His hand was fumbling at the buckle of his jeans.

Frozen in place, I was reminded of a happier time, when Jesse was always laughing, eyes sparkling with kindness, and Maria sang beautiful melodies on warm evenings, but this was wrong – this was a life that belonged to someone else. This Jesse was a stranger, some drunken man that had possessed the good natured Jesse that we, the orphanage, used to know.

"Jesse," I pleaded, "no."

Whipping his head around, Jesse glared at me with bloodshot eyes. His face flickered from a drunken man to the carefree man he used to be, but it was just my mind playing cruel tricks with me.

Maria moaned, breaking the moment, and Jesse resumed his task. As his hand reached for the zipper of his jeans, I tried again to dissuade him.

"Jesse, you're not well," I shuffled nervously, trying to appeal to the sickened part of his mind. "Jesse," I screeched desperately, the memories of old days flickering rapidly, but he was fiddling with his pants and Maria was coming to –

Charging forward, I threw myself at Jesse and we flew off the bed. A nearby dresser shook violently as his back collided against the wood. I was in a daze. My head was swimming from the collision. Sitting up, I touched my mouth and felt warm liquid from the impact of his shoulder. Jesse, in a blind rage, grabbed at my shirt and dragged me up with him. I was dangling in the air, completely at his mercy. His bleary eyes narrowed.

"J-Jesse," I struggled to inhale, "I'm sorry, but this isn't you! This isn't you!"

"I'll t-teach you," he slurred.

"Jesse!" I panicked at the sight of his raised fist, "p-please!"

Jesse stiffened and for a moment, half a second, the drunken haze lifted from his eyes, and he stared fearfully at me.

"NO!"

Leaping from the bed, Maria tackled Jesse and sent us all sprawling to the floor. Wriggling out from underneath Jesse, I watched as Maria, in an attempt to subdue the drunken man, threw all her weight on top of him. Normally, her slender form wouldn't have been enough, but there was a fierceness blazing in her eyes.

"Maria –"

"Run," she yelled amid Jesse's muffled curses, "run, Karen!"

Confused and terrified, my body heeded her words. It was instinct – my legs moving, even as my brain reeled in all the chaos of witnessing the decay of a once happy life. Hurrying to my room, I gathered a few clothes, tossed them in a bag, and bolted away from Jesse's heated screams.

-End of Flashback-

Jesse had not always been a drunk, but he was spiraling out of control, and was hardly a shadow of his former self. He used to be funny – his laugh an ever constant echo within the orphanage. Then his grandfather died, leaving him in charge of a dying orphanage. Before long he, too, began to fade away.

I remembered meeting Jesse, how I peered around the social worker's legs as she talked to him about my transfer, and he kept smiling, hardly paying attention to the haughty woman's words. He was always working hard, day in and out of his grandfather's office, but he also made time to visit the children, played with them, and comforted them when life seemed unfair – And, of course, there was always Sunday to look forward to, when he would buy ice cream for everyone, rain or shine – but there hadn't been a Sunday like that in a long time.

Maria –

She used to be the housekeeper for the orphanage during Jesse's grandfather's ownership, but once Jesse took over, she became his assistant. She started out young too, a mere teenager, but Jesse's grandfather had hired her anyways, gave her everything when she had nowhere to stay. She had always been a familiar face, a mother-like figure to every orphan, instilling morals and singing away the pain from scraped knees. She believed in every child and told them so whenever adoption day would come and you were left, yet again, without potential parents. I had had a lot of those days.

_So what_, I scattered some broken paint chips into a puddle. _Was I_ _just going to leave, just like that?_

_Maybe – _Sighing, I shook my head sadly. _Ah, Karen, c'mon, what are you doing!_

Of course I wasn't going to leave! Jesse is an alcoholic, so what – he didn't always drink! Jesse was my friend, both of them, and its bad now, but I couldn't leave like this. Everyone makes mistakes and this was no different! He just needs help and faith as he had shown me. I had to believe he was still there, because just moments before Maria tackled him, he had become the Jesse I had always known him to be.

Nodding to myself, I stood up with gusto, determined to help in anyway –

A scream emitted from within the park causing my head to whip around in abrupt fear. The scream wailed in the air and across the cold puddles. _Calm down, Karen, _I swallowed nervously. _It's probably just an animal._

Again, I turned to leave, preparing to brush the scream aside when the wail continued to echo, as if to say, 'hell no, it's not an animal'. Searching the park, I couldn't make out anyone. The screams had to be coming from the more wooded area of the park. But what the hell was someone doing that far in the park?

_Kids, _I chuckled nervously. _Just kids just trying to give a scare, but I'm not falling for it! _Shakily, I began jogging away like a coward until another heart-wrenching scream had me skidding to a stop._ Those are real screams _– Spinning on my heels, I eyed the forest apprehensively. _I need to call the police! _I searched for a payphone, but there was none in sight. I began pacing with hands flying up to grab at dampen hair._ Don't go near_, chanted wild thoughts. _It's not safe!_

The instinct to help was too powerful and it chased away all cowardly thoughts. As another scream pierced the air, I acted impulsively and bolted forward. I ignored all the warnings flashing in my head and instead focused on the scream, a woman's scream, coming from the heart of the park. I was tearing past the playground, slipping in the mud, but soon the wooded area came into view. Pushing past the trees, I continued forward.

"Oof –"I hit the mud and slid along the slippery earth.

Panting, I huddled on the ground. I briefly wondered what I had tripped over, and it hit me – the sudden silence. I listened hard, straining my ears, but it was quiet- too quiet. Frozen, I felt the sudden desire to stop breathing, to stop moving in general, but I had to move. Lifting my head slowly, I followed a beam of moonlight where it ominously trailed ahead and stopped on a large clawed foot.

_What –_

A scream died in my throat as a creature stood beneath the moonlight. He was turned away, but even so, he was gruesome. He was tall, nearly as tall as the trees, and had shoulders that stretched the length of two park benches. His dark purple, scaly arms were covered with spikes, each varying in different lengths. At the end of each spike were hands ending in metallic claws.

I do not know what gave me away, but he whirled around, shaking the ground with his massive feet. The moonlight illuminated the beast's face. He had three horns, two on either side of his head, and one in the middle of his forehead. A bright substance glittered at his mouth – _blood –_ I searched at his feet, and there, lying behind him, were the remnants of a bloody dress. Eying the blood, I began shaking, unable to believe what was happening.

The beast roared and my eyes flew up to his grotesque face. Large empty eyes, black as the pits of hell, stared viciously into my own. I wanted to move, attempt to run, but he had me under his hold as if he were hypnotizing me. It was only once he moved that I managed to back away, but by then it was too late. Each step he took shook the ground like a mini earthquake. I tried to stand, a last attempt at escaping, but I kept losing my footing against the tremors from his weight.

"Help," my voice was barely a whisper, the shock too great, "help."

Desperately, I crawled backwards, because it was the only stable way of moving. I kept my eyes on his face, locked with the monster's eyes. Within in their depths was the reflection of wide, blue eyes – my eyes. Towering to his full height, the monster raised a clawed hand and I closed my eyes to await death.

… And I waited and waited…

Swallowing, I cracked open my eyelids, peering out before fully opening them, and was in awe at the sight before me.

A man stood before me dressed in a billowing cloak and scarf, glinting sword in hand, and looking like the warrior in one's wildest dreams. At his feet, was a clawed hand, the monster's hand. I glanced back and forth from monster to hand in horrid confusion.

A full minute passed before the monster reacted, seeming just as confused as I was, and slowly, he glanced down with dark eyes. Eying his severed hand, the monster stared with an open mouth. So intense was the beast's scrutiny that I was rather surprised – frightened – as he jumped back with a howl.

My eyes flashed back to the man, afraid he might have vanished from the monster's action, but he was still there. Even though I could not see my savior's face, he seemed bored, which was made apparent when he clucked his tongue in annoyance and sheathed his sword in one fluid movement. I was practically a mess, shivering like a foreigner in Alaska and sprawled in a puddle of mud, and yet he was the very epitome of calm!

Suddenly, the man muttered something under his breath and a voice answered in return. Movement appeared from behind a tree and another figure stepped out like a silent panther. Immediately, my eyes flew up to his hair, which was a soft red, rose-like. He was a slender man and dressed casually, but his eyes were cold, the emerald irises a striking color against his hair. Calmly, as if he had done this on a daily basis, he moved his hand. A whip appeared, and he slashed at the beast with a flick of his wrist.

"Oh, god," I uttered as the monster, what was once standing, fell to the ground in pieces.

Dazed and on the verge of fainting, I stared at the monster with shaky breaths. I didn't know whether to panic, scream, vomit (I was leaning heavily toward that choice), or cry. I had no time to reflect on my actions as a strange language rang in the air.

"What," I mumbled as the redhead approached.

The redhead was speaking in a smooth, gentle voice- a nice voice, as voices go- but I didn't understand a word he was saying. He tried again, but stopped and shook his head as if to say, 'I'm a fool', and stared at the ground thoughtfully. When he no longer held my interest, I turned to the other –

And it happened, hitting with the ferocity of a train, several cars, a landslide, and every known calamity in the world. I couldn't tear my gaze away from him – those _crimson_ eyes. It was frightening, how intense his eyes were, that the irises burned everything in its wake to the point that I could feel it racing through my veins like fire. I was breathing and gasping at the same time, wondering how that was even possible, and fighting desperately to look away.

_Please, look away_, I pleaded silently. _Please, look away, because I can't._

"Hiei," called the redheaded man.

A minute, hour, _years _passed by, it seemed, before this Hiei tore his eyes away to answer his partner.

Clutching at my heart, I ignored the conversing men and would have kept ignoring them until a hand appeared in front of my face. Slowly, I lifted wide eyes and was met with the redhead's kind gaze, an immediate relief from the other man's hypnotizing orbs. It was strange, how only seconds ago, they were a cold emerald, and now his eyes were warm, almost dancing with something akin to surprise.

Hesitant and perhaps in shock, I took his hand without breaking eye contact. Standing, I wrung my hands together nervously. I was skittish, flinching even, when the redhead reached out a hand. He gave me a look, the irises dancing, but it was just the intense green of his eyes, for silent permission. Glancing at the ground, I forced myself to remain rooted to the ground. His hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed in an act of comfort and kindness. For some odd reason, it burned too, but it was just the heat of comfort to the cold engulfing my body. Yes, I must be going into shock, because I was so damn cold – cold enough, that just a stranger's hand was keeping my blood from freezing.

"Shuuichi," spoke the red head while pointing at his chest.

Confused, I tilted my head to meet his eyes.

He cleared his throat and repeated more slowly, "Shuuichi."

_Oh,_ _he's telling me his name._

"Shuuichi," I answered softly while working around the strange pronunciation of his name.

He gave a little smile- a sign of praise, I suppose because this, too, was a warm act. I didn't return the smile – mainly because I was ready to bolt, and if it weren't for the fact that my legs felt like noodles, I would have done so.

Ducking his head, he locked eyes with mine again. Then, giving that same little smile, Shuuichi turned and pointed at _him – _"Hiei."

Without looking at Hiei, I mumbled, "H-Hiei." Hell, even saying that name, cause some sort of myriad of emotions. And at the heart of these sensations, one stood out – fear.

Shuuichi smiled again as he pointed at me.

Inhaling, I debated on giving my name, as it was obvious he wanted it. There was one problem, many actually; I didn't trust them. Mere minutes ago, these two _men_, if they were even men, just killed a giant monster, a beast out of some kind of horror story, and he wanted my name? They may have saved my life and I was grateful, truly, but this sort of thing just didn't happen!

I started backing away, somehow managing to move these noodle legs. Shuuichi's hand fell away and something flashed in his eyes. I pleaded with him to understand. I just wanted to turn and run – go back to the orphanage and climb in bed. Even so, I felt the need to explain, but they wouldn't understand, would they?

"S-sorry, but I'll just be going – now." I babbled anyways.

A harsh voice cut through the air and without warning, an iron-like hand wrapped around my upper arm. Whirled around, I was met with Hiei's harsh glare. He was furious, the foreign language spilling forth in waves, and unable to comprehend, I shook my head with each word. Growling, Hiei leaned over me, and it was only then that I realized how tall he was, as he spat out a mouthful of foreign words.

"Hiei…"

Hiei paused in his fury, eyes shifting to the side, and listened to Shuuichi's hurried words. After a moment, Hiei replied in a dark and husky tone, sending shivers throughout my body. Slowly, Hiei's eyes slid back to captivate me, but this time, I turned away. Roughly, Hiei shook me once, hard, and jerked my chin back to his face. He studied my eyes with an unwavering gaze, but he must not have found what he was looking for, because he muttered something to Shuuichi in annoyance.

"Hai… Koenma…"

Whatever Shuuichi said caused Hiei to release me with a disgruntled shove. Grunting, Hiei reached beneath his cloak and unsheathed his sword with glinting eyes. Unable to move, I watched in horror as he raised his sword with a murderous smirk. Before I could even scream, utter some insane plea for my life, the sword flashed and white-hot, blistering pain erupted at my temple.

Everything faded like the dimming lights in a theater, and succumbing to the pain, I drifted away in darkness.

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A/N: Thank you, **akasoeki**, for beta reading!


	2. Perilous Journey into Town

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

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Chapter Two- Perilous Journey into Town

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A clean lemon scent wafted around, tickling here and there, and tried to arouse a drowsy mind. The aroma drifted forth, like fog, and abruptly filled resting lungs until they expanded harshly –

Throat constricting, I coughed to ward off the odor's harsh invasion. Immediately, excruciating, knife-like pain began beating with the intensity of a war drum. Once the pain became tolerable, I focused on breathing, in and out, which was kind of hard to do, because of the sudden need to vomit. I prepared to heave out my insides, as pressure soared skyward, but only a cloud of air escaped in a small burp.

Blinded, I felt around. Beneath heavy fingertips was cool, soft fabric, and fisting the material, I willed my eyes opened. At first, everything was a complete blur of white. I blinked, or so I believed, until the harsh pain came knocking. Moaning, I waited for the pain to subside. It did, but slowly. Inhaling, I forced my eyes open to await the white haze's appearance, but in seconds, it was replaced with colorful, fuzzy images, like a camera coming into focus.

I was in a room, an odd room, where everything was made of wood: walls, floors, picture frames and furniture. The room was entirely too brown and there was little furniture. The only item not made of wood was the mattress, and that, too, was weird, as it rested low to the floor.

Instantly, as if some unknown entity had dumped a bucket of cold water on my head, images flashed like a fast-forwarding movie.

_Jesse was raising his fist into the air – the rats fleeing over fallen trash – the scream of a helpless woman – and men killing the monster – a monster – a big, ass, purple monster!_

"Ooh –" I sat up with a groan.

I wondered, idly, how much time had passed, as a wave of dizziness spiraled around like a musical, _prima donna_, figure skater. Standing, I wiped away the sweat above a brow and ignored the way the floor tilted, first one way, then the other, teeter totting dangerously. _Right, Karen, you can do this, _I mentally encouraged, _just one foot in front of the other._ Determined, I stepped forward and the world fell back into place. Triumphant, I walked across the cold, wooden floor, albeit timidly, like a newly walking toddler.

Reaching the door, I searched for the doorknob, but to my surprise, there was no knob in sight. Confused, I felt along the door and felt a small slit. Digging my fingers in, I slid the door open and peered out into the hall. To the right, were more sliding doors, but no one in sight; to the left, were even more sliding doors, but – _ah, god!_

At the end of the hall, was a tall, slender, _redheaded _man – Shuuichi! – Quietly, I ducked back inside and slid the door shut. The soft pitter-patter of his footsteps soon faded. Exhaling in relief, I leaned against the wall.

Hiei and Shuuichi, my saviors, were now kidnappers! They could have just knocked me out and left, but no_, _for some unexplained reason, they had imprisoned me within their eerie house of wood! I was just a teenage girl, utterly defenseless, and insignificant, like a krill within a swarm, so why the hell did they kidnap me?

Pushing away from the wall, I paced to the middle of the room.

Did they think I was going to call the police about the incident? _Why, yes, of course, _I answered sarcastically. _I was thinking of screaming hysterically about purple monsters! –_ As if someone would actually believe that two foreign guys defeated a purple monster with a whip and a sword. If there were such a person, I'd be worried about their sanity. Hell, I'm worried for my own sanity!

Pausing, I closed my eyes.

Yet, there was still the fact that they had obviously done such things like slaying a monster. They were not _human_, that much I believed, but what were they – supernatural beings? No, that is a ridiculous idea! They were human, definitely_ – _they were just different and wielded weapons with expertise!

"Weapon, wielding strangers," I whispered.

_I'm an idiot! _I searched the room in a panic. _What the hell am I still doing here, in a house, of eerie wood, with weapon, wielding strangers?_

Spotting a wardrobe-sized cabinet, I flung open the doors. Inside, dangled a few hangers sporting shirts, and there, at the bottom, was a faded, green bag. Peering closely at the shirts, I recognized them, because they were mine. With a growing suspicion, I glanced down and took note of my attire, which was comfortable – but not what I had been wearing that night!

_Oh, god, _I hugged myself. _I've been raped! _

_No,_ argued my mind, _you'd feel something, wouldn't you?_

Gasping, I patted my breasts, stomach, private area, and, rather tentatively, my butt, but everything felt fine. Surely, if I were raped, something would feel out of place, like soreness, or some other discomfort. Still, someone, a _male_ someone, had changed my clothes, but who? Unless, they had a woman with them, then I could hurriedly brush aside the thoughts of them taking advantage of my womanhood, but (I gasped again) what if she were a lesbian –

_Che_, snapped my mind, _there's no time for this!_

_Right, I got to get out of here first! _I agreed silently.

Huffing, I swiped at my bag, which was practically empty. With narrowed eyes, I searched the bag and noticed all the missing items, such as toiletry supplies, clothes, and – what the hell? Digging in my bag, I pulled out several panties and socks. My lips pulled down in a frown as the underwear fell back into the bag. Slowly, I tugged on the band of my shorts and eyed the panties, _old_ panties, still covering my goods.

So, they take advantage of my poor, defenseless body, and unpack the clothes, but refrain from touching the underwear? _Well, _I lifted an eyebrow, _aren't they the weird ones?_ Besides, it wasn't as if the underwear was dirty – at least, I think so. I mean, some of the socks were a little brown, but hey, they were socks. I sniffed at a pair of socks with a peculiar frown…

_Yep, it's clean!_

With that settled, I focused on searching the rest of the bag, as there was still a rather important item to find. Unzipping tiny pockets, I checked my bag with a flourish, but each one came up empty. Panicking, I checked inside the bag again, but paused, as a light bulb exploded above my head. There, on a shelf, were my dirty jeans, and snatching them, I jammed a hand into the back pocket. Grinning, like a maniac, I pulled out the worn, dirty money and gazed down at the bills with fondness.

"… 398, 399," I muttered aloud, counting like a pro accountant, "400 – and a dime? Huh, well, I must have picked that up somewhere…"

Shrugging, I stuffed the money into the backpack. Quickly, I seized the shirts dangling on the hangers and stuffed the worn garments into the bag, uncaring if they were practically rolled into large wads, becoming the victims for an onslaught of wrinkles. After tossing in my jeans, I gave the wardrobe a quick scan, nodded, and grabbed the dirty sneakers sitting at the bottom. Slipping on a _clean_ pair of socks, I jammed on the shoes and stood. Officially dressed, I gathered up my hair, paused to flick off a few brown strands, and reached for the hairband, but it was gone.

"C'mon," I whispered angrily, "they removed the hairband from my wrist – It's there for a reason, ya know?"

Searching the room, I decided to check the small bedside table. Inside, the missing toiletry items and hairbands winked up at me with innocence. Sighing, I grabbed a hair tie. After fixing my hair, I gave the room a once over to make sure nothing was left behind – even took the time to empty the bedside table. Satisfied, I headed over to the window, pushed the windowpane up, and slipped outside with a soft grunt.

Once outside, night shrouded my vision with the likeness of a blindfold. Squinting, I forced my eyes to pierce through the inky blackness, but only vague images stared back, and answered with lazy hellos. With no time to wait for my vision to adjust, I decided to stay the near house. Besides, most houses had two entrances and the front, hopefully with a driveway, always led back to civilization.

Impressed with my quick thinking, I decided to head right. Keeping a hand on the wall of the house, I carefully made my way toward freedom. Although, I was being cautious by moving slowly, it wasn't slow enough, as rocks, varying in size (I swear there was one the size of a soccer ball), kept stubbing my toes, like those nightstands one walks into on the way for a midnight snack. Finally, after some time, and stubbier toes, I managed to make it to another side of the house. Peering through the dark, I could make out large double doors leading down to a set of steps, and then down a small hill.

_Yes, _I nearly jumped in the air with victory.

Now, with a bit of luck, this was, hopefully, the front entrance, and not the back entrance, otherwise, I'd have to double back. Even so, I strode past the stone-like steps and descended the small hill, happy as can be, until, that is, I reached the bottom of the hill.

_More stairs, _I mentally slapped myself. _This is absurd!_

There, at the bottom of the hill, were _stairs_, not steps, as there was a difference, leading downward. It wouldn't have been so bad, if there were only a handful of stairs, but there were several dozenstairs. Gritting my teeth, I took the first step. _Ah, well, _I stumbled, _it could be worse, I mean, at least I'm not heading up the stairs._ With that thought, I felt a bit better and continued my perilous journey toward freedom.

It was dangerous work, walking down the stairs in the dark, but it had to be done. I was quiet, save for my thoughts, and tried to remain quiet, even after all the stumbling. Everything was going great, smoothly, and freedom was fast approaching until what I had been trying to avoid, happened.

I tripped.

Careening downwards, I let out a half gasp, knowing if I screamed, my efforts would've been all for nothing. Instead, I bit my tongue and whimpered, but even so, a choked cry escaped my lips. The old, stone steps bit into my back, like gnashing teeth, as I bounced down the steps. Finally, the stairs vanished and the ground embraced my flying body. Hitting the ground, I egg-rolled for a few seconds before coming to a complete stop, where I remained frozen with fear.

_Thank, god, no one saw that. _

Huffing, I pushed myself up, which was much harder to do, as my muscles were now aching. Gravel shifted beneath my shoes and following the path, I saw a gate up ahead. Despite the aching muscles, I forced myself into a jog, knowing that too much time had passed. Reaching the gate, I made to open the blasted entrance, but a fist-like padlock glinted rudely at me.

_Great, _I looked helplessly at the sky. _Can't have a little help, now, can I?_

Sighing, I eyed the wooden fence on either side of the gateway. I placed a hand against the wood and noticed the thickness of it, which would be too difficult to kick. It probably wouldn't budge anyway and I'd only end up hurting myself. Leaning down, I cupped a handful of dirt. The dirt was rather soft and moist, making it easy to dig underneath, but I didn't know how far down the fence was buried. I tossed the dirt down as I studied the height of the fence. It was too high –

_Hah,_ I jogged over to a boulder sitting beside the fence.

Excited at my find, I clambered atop the large boulder. Leaning forward, I grabbed the top of the fence and prepared to pull myself up to the top. I heaved and tugged. I kicked my legs and gulped in air. And then, I was pulling myself up over the fence with shaking arms. After some time, and a particularly hard kick (mule kick!), I swung my legs over. Trying to lower myself down for a more graceful fall, I decided it was never going to be graceful, and with that, let go.

"Shit," I howled in agony, "my ass!"

I spent a few unladylike minutes just massaging my rear while observing the new surroundings. It was a road, a highway of some sort, and I'd take a lonely road against kidnappers, stairs, and fences, any day.

Thus, the journey continued, and with a smile, I headed toward the rising sun. The wooden fence stretched on forever, separating the street from the line of trees on the other side. It was somewhat eerie, as the trees towered over the fence, casting shadows upon the ground and creating bizarre illusions.

Eyeing the trees with a wary gaze, I was unprepared for the sound of speeding car. Soon, a couple of houses begin to appear, the windows glowing, as lights flickered on from within. I even heard a dog barking in the distance. Before long, buildings took the place of trees, more streets were popping up, and cars were zipping by in packs.

A grin spread across my face, as the success of escaping spread, until the signs came into more focus, and caused the silly grin to point downward. Stretched across every sign, were weird symbols, drawings really, which were made up of intricate lines. The symbols were everywhere, some flashing, and others largely drawn. I was now frowning, as more unfamiliar customs appeared, such as the foreign language buzzing around and all the Asians brushing past me…

_All the Asians_, I gasped – _ALL THE ASIANS!_

…

_Okay, calm down, _I inhaled deeply. _Now, where am I?_

Strangely enough, a sign had 'Welcome to Tokyo' written in English.

_I'm in Japan_, I gasped, on the brink of a mental breakdown. _I'M IN JAPAN!_

I would have continued panicking, perhaps, started walking in a crazed circle, yelling 'I'm in Japan' over and over, but I was interrupted with a hard shove. Stumbling, I turned around and came face-to-face with a middle-aged man, shouting in gibberish. I stared at the man, as one observes a two-headed rabbit, and watched, with widening eyes, the red color steadily consuming his face while he yelled. Not understanding a word, and rather wary of his red face, I turned and walked away.

Much more calm, thanks to the mad, red man, I took a deep breath. When the panic still swirled, as if it were some bad case of indigestion, I inhaled two more times. They were the biggest, but much needed, breaths of my entire life. It wouldn't do to panic, have a breakdown, and make a fool of myself. I had to pull myself together if I was going to, successfully, make it back to my homeland. I had to think.

The first thing I had to do, having read it in a book (I think), was exchange my money for their currency; otherwise, I'd have trouble trying to get back home. And, if I was lucky, I could find out about the American Embassy at the bank. Either way, I was going to need money to get around until my situation could be resolved.

_There, _I inhaled again,_ not so bad now. I just have to be adult right now. Be an adult, Karen. _With that in mind, I went over my little plan – Bank first, Embassy second, and while I'm there, decide whether or not, to risk telling them about those two men.

I started looking for a bank.

I must have walked a good fifteen minutes, battling my way among the overcrowded sidewalks, before finding what resembled a bank. Shoving my way toward the building, I spotted a small sign confirming that the building was indeed, a bank. With a relieved smile, I headed inside. Surprisingly, the bank was rather devoid of customers and I didn't have to wait long for help. Sauntering up to the next available teller, I rummaged around for the money, but paused – How was I supposed to communicate with him?

Immediately, his nasally voice reached my ears and I stared dumbly at him. Two minutes of not responding, he seemed to take the hint and began speaking in broken English

"You, you are American?" ask the teller hesitantly.

I nodded.

"You exchange American dollars?"

I nodded again.

"Ah! Good! How much," he rubbed his hands together.

Glancing down at the money, I took half of it and placed it on the counter. Putting the other half back in the bag, I waited patiently as he began counting, hands moving like lightening. Some minutes later, he handed back a handful of colorful bills.

"Thanks," I quickly pocketed the strange money.

"Thank you!" he bowed his head.

"Um, I'm not really in Japan, am I?" I asked, unsure of why I even bothered asking, for the answer was obvious. The teller, as I should have known he would do, tossed back his head and laughed loudly.

I thought seriously of asking about the Embassy, but I was too embarrassed. Heading back outside, I quickly squeezed into the crowd and allowed them to lead me away. This time, I searched for a restaurant, as I was rather hungry. And, while there, I'd check for information about the Embassy. Turning, which I had no choice, the crowd marched down another street, where, to my great surprise, I found a shop with a sign that read, 'sweets'. Making my way across the crowd, and aided my several shoves, I bounded into the shop with the eagerness of a five year old.

Inside, there were various baked goods, glass jars of bizarre candy-like snacks, and trays of delicious looking chocolate. Trailing my hand along the counter, I ignored the foreign symbols and searched for something familiar looking. After a few minutes, I found a pile of steaming pancakes, well that was it looked like, and indicated to the saleslady, by holding up two fingers of how many I wanted. The lady smiled kindly while wrapping up the pancakes. Ringing up the order, the woman said some numbers along with foreign words.

I had no idea what she was saying, but I knew she wanted some yen or whatever the teller had called it. I stared down at the bills and studied the symbols, trying to understand how much they were worth, but only confused myself even more. Smiling sheepishly, I pointed at the yen and she seemed to understand the situation. Peering into my hand, the lady took a bill, typed a few numbers and then handed back more bills along with a few coins.

"Dorayaki," muttered the woman, as she handed the pancakes to me.

"D-doroyaki," I moistened my lips before trying again, "dorayaki."

The woman nodded proudly while I stared down giddily at the pancakes.

"Oh, do you know anything about the American Embassy?"

It took a few tries, but the lady soon handed me a map, and thankfully, it was written in English. Thanking her, I left the shop while nibbling on the dorayaki. I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, as a light, sweet substance entered my mouth.

_This – is – delicious!_

Sadly, as I wanted to eat the other dorayaki too, I put it away for later. Munching around a mouthful of dorayaki, I studied the map, and to my relief, found the Embassy. To my great surprise, the Embassy wasn't all that far away and if I followed the map – took the train here, walked to the next station, and take this train – then I would make it there within the hour. Rechecking the directions, I found a crowd to flow with, and it was as I was walking, that the feeling of being followed hit me.

Cautiously, I turned and searched the crowd of people, but the faces were all unremarkable; no one stood out. So caught up in searching, I was knocked aside, by a particularly hard body, and there, through a gap in the crowd, I saw _him. _He was turned away and this time without his cloak, but even so, I knew it was Hiei. In the back of my mind, I knew it was of no coincidence finding him here.

He was looking for me.

A breeze fluttered behind me and must have reached Hiei because his hair rustled slightly. At that moment, he seemed to stiffen, recognizing something, and turned –

Whirling around, I bolted through the crowd with the ferocity of an escaping criminal. I pushed my way among the crowd, shoving my hands against arms and chests, as I flew down the sidewalk. They continued to swarm, oblivious to my actions, or maybe, they were working for him and trying to prevent my getaway. Shaking my head to clear the wild thoughts, I glanced over a shoulder, ponytail flying wildly, and searched the area he had been occupying.

He was no longer there.

_Did he see me, _I asked nervously.

I do not know why, but I stopped. Nervously, I licked my lips as the air buzzed with some sort of energy. My neck was tingling, almost painfully, and I was compelled to look across the street. There, leaning against a phone booth, was none other than Hiei, seemingly bored looking, until I stared into his eyes, which were glittering dangerously. With an unwavering gaze, he pushed away from the booth.

Turning away, I took off running. This time, the crowd parted easily, perhaps, sensing my need to flee. I wish they would make up their minds. Eyeing an alley, I stumbled toward the backstreet, where clothes hung overhead on wired lines and trashcans sat against the walls. I sprinted down the dirt, cobbled stones, trying to put as much distance between us, but the energy was still there, licking at my skin. Turning left, then right, I burst out into another passage, only to find a brick wall.

Crestfallen, I bowed my head in defeat. I listened carefully, hoping he had taken another alley, but there was the thudding of calm footsteps. I closed my eyes, contemplating the situation, but it was too late. There was a splash, as a puddle was disturbed, and the heat, the _fire,_ began boiling beneath my skin. One last patter, a sound so ominous, like the height of an orchestra movement, and I turned to eye the hunter.

His face was emotionless, but the heat that flowed from him was intense, rolling off him in volumes. His eyes conveyed his message of hatred, as they hardened, glinting. Glancing at the old battered ground, I tried to ignore the way my face burned from his gaze. From the side of my vision, I saw him advance with excruciatingly, slow steps. I pressed myself into the brick wall, anything to ward off the heat, _him,_ but he continued, like a stalking panther.

Without warning or words, he wrapped his fingers cruelly around my wrist. Yanking, as one would do to a disobedient dog, he dragged me down the alley.

"Let go!" I tugged away from him. "You're hurting me!"

…

"Please, stop!"

…

Gritting my teeth, I started to grow angry as he continued to ignore the requests. I understood that he couldn't speak English, but he had to know, especially from my incessant tugging, that he needed to loosen his hold.

"Let me go!"

…

"You jerk!"

...

...

...

Huffing in air, I yelled, "ASS WIPE!"

Spinning around, Hiei tugged brutally on my wrist until I was right up against him. He was so tall. He had to be over six feet – nearly a foot taller than me. His other hand flashed up to tilt my head back cruelly with his thumb beneath my chin and his fingers bruising into the side of my neck. He was almost choking me. I whimpered against his hold.

Words were spilling out of his mouth and I could only stare in fear, as he continued his foreign tirade. His fingers tightened around my wrist until I trembled, until the skin felt like it would open beneath his touch. Leaning down, he hissed in my ear, the words seeming to promise more pain if I didn't cooperate. After that, silence ensued and he turned to resume walking. Dazed with fear, because who wouldn't be after that, I stumbled after him as quietly as possible.

Minutes passed and, as we were about to step out into the crowd, he turned. His red eyes darkened, casting an eerie glow as we stood in the shadows. He squeezed my wrist, conveying a message that was loud and clear. _Don't make a scene,_ his eyes threatened.

_Careful, Karen, _I swallowed, _you're on dangerous ground now._

Hiei glared a moment longer before sliding his hand down to grab my hand firmly. He squeezed once (I think a few of my fingers rubbed raw), to remind me of his message, and then headed out onto the street. Trying to appear casual, something Hiei did perfectly, he stuffed his unoccupied hand into his pocket. Crimson eyes once set in a hard glare were now cool and casual, as he eyed the crowd with a flicker of boredom.

I have never held hands with a guy before, and yet, here I was, doing just that. The act of handholding was strange, almost intimate, as I eyed how much larger and darker his hand was compared to mine. Yet, this was a manacle of pain – his hand was a weapon. One move and I knew he could break every bone in my hand. I could already feel the oncoming bruises.

Minutes passed by, or maybe an hour, but I suddenly took notice of the lessening crowd and dimming noises. All around, the stores and buildings were becoming fewer and fewer. We were heading back to the wooden house, to the stairs of doom. The fingers of dread curled around my insides. I swallowed hard, knowing that in a few moments, I would be alone with him.

Then it happened – I could hardly breath – the last person passed by, disappearing behind us, like a ship over the horizon. I desperately wanted to yell for him to come back, to scream, like a banshee, for him to save me from this madman and his wicked sword. However, the insane act would have been useless, as no one seemed to understand my language. With that thought, I felt rather alone. Even when I had ran away from the orphanage, people had understood me, but here, in this strange country, I was isolated from the world.

I was entirely alone.

Hiei's hand tightened, scattering the thoughts of isolation, and my eyes widened fearfully. Releasing my hand, as if I were disgusting, he glared down at me. I watched his face and tried to understand his actions, but it was like trying to decipher, Jack the Ripper's, code.

"Wait," I screeched as he threw me over his shoulder, "what are you –"

I never finished speaking, as the world began to blur, the colors fading and distorting into neutral tones. The wind stung – the bite of it stinging my cheeks. Shutting my eyes, I tried to create a quieter place, as the wind roared loudly, like the static of a TV.

Somewhere, within my mind, I knew Hiei was carrying me, that he was causing this sudden event. Again, the idea of him not being completely human flashed, but that was absurd, surely, and I argued against that notion, because the unknown scared me.

He was human… right?


	3. Who Are You?

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here.

* * *

Chapter Three - Who Are You?

* * *

I wondered, had been for some time, how we were traveling, but either way, I wanted it to stop. The roar of the wind and passing noises (at one point, I think I heard a man) were making me nauseous. I wanted the whirling motion to stop. I wanted the noises to fade away. I wanted to breathe properly and not heave out that delicious dorayaki.

_Stop_, I inhaled shakily, _just please stop._

The humming vanished.

Beneath me, I could feel Hiei's muscles tensing, a sure sign that something bad was about to happen. Suddenly, Hiei's hands bit into my sides, fingers digging in deeply. He hoisted my body off and onto the ground. The abrupt movement caused my head to spin and I fell forward. Leaning against Hiei, I clutched at his shirt and tried to collect myself. However, the contact was unwanted and he shoved me away with a growl.

Hurt, annoyed and many other feelings, I turned to lick my wounds, or rather, just wait for the vertigo to subside. Once, the world righted, I lifted my eyes and sighed. There, before me, were the same cruel stairs that had caused a majority of the aching muscles screaming for relief.

Despite my hatred for the stairs, I eyed them with renewed interest. If I was quick enough and taking advantage of the unexpected, I could try dashing down the stairs, but he would catch me. Or, I could tumble down the stairs, which was indeed faster, but he would (I grumbled), most likely, still catch me. But what if –

I was pulled back by my shirt, the collar cutting into the throat, and angered (how can someone be so cruel), I whirled around to glare at the perpetrator. Uncaring, Hiei released his hold with a scoff and nodded his head at a pair of doors. I held a hand to my throat. It felt heated, like the beginnings of another raw bruise.

"If you wanted me to go inside," I marched past him, "you could have just tapped my shoulder, instead of choking me!"

Even though he didn't understand, he seemed to be able to sense, by my tone, that I was being snooty, and growled under his breath. Ignoring him, I headed inside what appeared to be a temple. Once I was through the doors, a clean, lemon scent greeted us, but after a careful sniff, the smell was more like pine trees. Up ahead, shadows flickered from behind a paper-like screen and voices murmured on the other side. I seized up with fear, wondering just how many kidnappers there were, and made to turn around until Hiei slid the door open.

Immediately, the dialogue halted. There were a dozen people, at least, each one taking in my appearance, probably judging the way I looked. Smiling nervously, I refrained from doing anything vulgar, like combing through my knotted ponytail or, heaven forbid, lift an arm to sniff an armpit. The scrutiny of the strangers was intimidating and I wanted to back out, make a hasty escape, but a warm hand pressed into the middle of my back, pushing roughly. Clearing my throat, I waited for them, someone, _anyone,_ to speak, but they just kept staring. I felt like some sort of specimen beneath a microscope.

"Uh – ahem –"I cringed at how squeaky my voice sounded. "Who are you guys?"

No one answered, go figure, because, like the rest of Japan, they did not understand English. With nothing else left to do, because I wasn't even going to try and act out my words with flailing arms, I began to study a nearby wall. The wall was wood, like the rest of the house, and shiny, which was rather nice, except for this small crack in a panel – they should probably fix that –

"I'm afraid they do not understand your language," I jerked at the voice cutting through the air, "I, however, do. I am Prince Koenma."

My eyes flashed around the room, rolling over the strange faces, until finally landing upon a young man. I admired his appearance, taking in his height, broad shoulders and hazel eyes. His hair was cut short in the back, the front part falling over his forehead. He seemed perfectwith his chiseled face, like the marble faces of Greek gods. He was rather handsome, save for one, rather bizarre, fault; he was sucking on a blue pacifier.

"Pacifier," I muttered aloud.

Koenma stiffened and scowled, "_what?"_

"Oh, god, did I say that out loud?" I gushed while covering my face in embarrassment.

"Yes, but –"

I interrupted him with rapid words. "I didn't mean to, but I'm just so nervous – They keep staring! – And this is all so confusing, I mean, why am I here? Why did they kidnap me? I swear," I held a hand over my heart, "I didn't see anything – wait – that's not what I meant, because usually that means I _did _see something, but am just trying to convince you that I didn't – of course, I won't tell, I swear – _and why do they keep staring!"_

Holding up a hand, Koenma effectively cut off my tirade. I swallowed, wondering if I had angered him, wondering if he was the boss of these monster slayers, and wondering why _they_ kept staring!

"I think you'd feel better if we went outside to talk, Karen."

I shrank away in fear, "you're going to kill me, aren't you?" Tears threatened to fall. My hysteria from all the bizarre events engulfed me. "Please, don't," I pleaded.

"No, my dear girl," he waved his hands. "No one is going to kill you! You're completely safe here, I assure you, but you will have to trust me, okay?"

I glanced away, thinking, while he continued to speak softly, as if he were consolingly a child. I wasn't comfortable being alone, but I was also rather uncomfortable in a room full of strangers. Koenma, trusting or not, was the only one who seemed able to understand English. Koenma being able to speak English was actually a relief, and I wanted to latch onto him, because I had thought I was truly alone.

"All right," I whispered calmly, the hysteria dwindling away.

Smiling kindly, Koenma led the way outside. I kept my head down, ignoring the room and followed him tentatively, for I was still wary of the situation. We walked in silence, passing various rooms, while striding down a long hallway. As we headed further inside the temple, the aroma of pines fading, I felt calmer, more sure of myself. A beam of sunlight appeared and glancing up, I saw Koenma holding a door open. Just as I was about to pass him, his words from earlier rang in my ears, and I stopped.

"How do you know my name?" I asked numbly.

"I know a great deal, but first, let's head outside."

With no other choice, I stepped outside. Instantly, the beams of sunlight embraced my aching limbs and seemed to soothe away the stiffness. Sighing, I mentally prepared myself for what was to come, but in the end, I had a feeling, that no amount of preparation would help.

"I thought being out here would help," Koenma inhaled the air, "but I think, with all that I have to explain, that you may still freak out."

"I already freaked out," I mumbled. "I – I don't usually act like that or talk that much, I was just – it was weird."

Koenma smiled softly, "no, it was normal, what with all that you've been through." Koenma nodded his head toward a tree, an indication for a short walk. "I had hoped to speak with you once you awakened and maybe that would have avoided the panic attack you almost had," I lowered my eyes, "but, to my surprise, you were gone. You gave us quite a scare."

"Well, you guys did kidnap me…"

"Yes, I apologize for that, but, once I explain, hopefully you will understand."

Sighing, I waited until we reached the tree before speaking. "Okay, I'm ready to hear what you have to say."

"Are you sure," he pointed at a flying bird, "don't you want to take a few moments to relax? Why, just listen to that bird sing!"

I stared up at Koenma with determination.

Eyeing my face, Koenma cleared his throat. "All right, where shall I begin?" he bowed his head for a moment, "I guess there's no beating around the bush… you are here," he raised his eyes, "because you have an unusual energy."

I lifted an eyebrow, "I don't understand. Is this… a joke?"

He sighed and swept a hand through his hair, looking like a model. "I knew it would start out this way." Collecting himself, he continued despite the disbelief rippling across my face, "yes, energy is something that everyone has because it helps the body function. However, in some," he pointed at me, "this energy can be released from the body."

I eyed him warily, trying to see if laughter would explode from his lips, or if some kind of camera crew was going to jump out and say, 'you've been punk'd'. A full minute passed, then two, but he remained sane, just waiting for a response. I blinked and almost pinched myself to test the idea of a high-strung dream. Ignoring my better judgment, I decided to hear him out.

"So... everyone has energy and it can escape sometimes," I crossed my arms. "When you say energy, what exactly do you mean – like, the energy to do something?"

"Have you ever seen Star Wars?" asked Koenma.

_Well, yeah, _I nodded.

"Energy is like er – the force!"

"Huh," I replied in a disbelieving tone. "So energy can be some sort of power?"

"Precisely!" piped Koenma. "Energy can be used as a power, yes, but only in some individuals. However, there are others whose energy can be used like a – well, like a sixth sense."

_Is this for real,_ I asked myself while wrinkling my nose.

"Karen, I know this is all confusing," he eyed my face, apparently seeing the disbelief, "but please, bear with me."

Inhaling deeply, I took a moment to do as Koenma had suggested earlier. Finding a bird, I listened while it sang. The raw music was soothing and with a nod, I motioned for him to continue again before the disbelief clouded my reasoning.

"First, this world, _your_ world, isn't the only one," _yeah, I was going to need a dozen more birds,_ "there are three worlds: Human World, Demon World and Spirit World."

I gasped. "Demons –"

He held up a hand, cutting me off. "Let me finish, please, it'll make things much easier."

"Okay," I breathed, "sorry."

"Energy resides, not only in humans, but in demons too – and yes, demons do exist." He began to pace around me, "boundaries separate all worlds to try and keep them from interacting, but some demons do cross the boundaries from time to time. Of course, when that happens, we try to locate them and send them back. However, nowadays, some demons do have special privileges to live in Human World." Turning to me, he smiled, "in fact, you already know two demons."

I narrowed my eyes, tilting my head to process the news. "Hiei and Shuuichi..."

He nodded.

I thought of the monster at the park, "and that – thing?"

"Also a demon," he supplied.

Too tired to panic, I took the news in stride and continued with, "so what does this have to do with me?"

"As I was explaining before... you have an unusual energy." He stared up at the tree as he talked. "On the night you met Shuuichi and Hiei, all your energy was released. Now, based off of Kurama's – er, Shuuichi's, report, it happened the moment you and Hiei locked eyes."

"Yeah," I agreed, "I remember."

"I believe that when Hiei blocked the demon's attack, your attention became so focused on Hiei and since his energy had been rather active – well, your energies connected."

"_What?"_

"You are connected to Hiei."

"_What?"_ I asked again.

Koenma laughed sheepishly once I began pacing around him. Wrapping my arms around my stomach, I willed myself to calm down.

"Oh, no," I moaned. "Is that why I feel, I don't know, sick around him? It hurts to look at him, but I _have_ to look at him."

"That would be the connection," he tapped his chin, thoughtfully, "and it's rather unique, in that it's quite literally bonded you to him. It is, I'm afraid, why you must also remain here."

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

"The moment he knocked you out – something he should not have done, by the way – he too, felt pain. And when you had left the temple, Hiei knew you were missing before anyone did. It's kind of like a string with the ends attached to the both of you; a tug of war effect – I'm sure you've felt something?"

Yes, I did feel something around Hiei, but it was more like awareness, rather than a tugging effect. While walking through the streets, I had felt his presence without seeing him. Even now, I felt like he was beside me, a constant shadow.

"What now?"

"You remain here for the time being. Hiei does a great deal of work, concerning demons, and since I do not know the full extent of this connection, I am worried that if he's injured, then you may be, too." Koenma smiled sadly, "I can't take that chance Karen. It's one of my many jobs."

"Your," I swallowed, my mouth had gone dry, "job?"

He nodded. "Yes, I oversee Spirit World, "he puffed out his chest, "I make sure that everyone goes to their rightful place. However, I also keep an eye on the Human world, protecting them from the presence of demons."

"But Hiei and Shuuichi are demons." I tossed at him.

"They work for me, well, not exactly me anymore, but they used to help out a certain young man I had employed a while back. He was called a spirit detective and if any dangerous demons leaked into the Human world, I had them take care of the situation."

"Is he a demon too, this former spirit detective?"

"He has a bit of demon in him from an ancestor, but it's more of a genetic trait – ha, that's rather complicated! Anyways, he is not an actual demon."

"How," I massaged a temple, "do you know these demons won't turn on you?"

"They won't," he grinned, "not for a while, at least, since they have ties to this world."

"How do you... how do you know so much? Are you like a –"

"A god," he finished my sentence, "to you humans, it would seem that way, but I'm merely," he searched for right words, "royalty, if you will. There are others, such as my father, who is the king of Spirit World."

_Oh, great, more fantasy characters turning into reality._

All my life, I had grown up thinking that demons were only in legends and that there was only one world. Now, in less than an hour, Koenma had dropped a dozen bombs atop my head, and made reality much more complicated.

"I don't know," I whispered lamely. "It's all so strange."

"Perhaps, I can make you believe a bit more." I eyed Koenma carefully, hoping he wasn't going to pull a dragon out of a hat for more proof. "When you were six, you said a prayer, remember?"

With that said Koenma produced a glowing orb and tossed it into the air. I jerked away as the orb exploded. A soft, child-like voice began speaking and I felt my jaw drop.

_"I don't want to pray to you anymore and Maria says you're very busy, but Mr. God, I want to ask one last thing. Can you help Billy? Jesse says his heart is broken, so maybe you can you fix it, because none of my Band-Aids will help. Okay, that's all – Wait – Um, I'll only pray when I really, really need too, kay, bye!"_

My cheeks flared up throughout the entire prayer and, as it ended, I began to reminisce. I had been alone in my room while the other kids had been playing and a new kid, Billy, had just joined the orphanage. He was seven and had cried the entire week. I remembered asking Jesse why Billy cried so much and he explained that his heart was broken. I prayed for Billy that night…

I bowed my head in defeat, the prayer having confirmed Koenma's words.

"I'm sure you're tired," Koenma suddenly announced. "It might be best if you slept and all this information will be much easier to handle. Come, I'll escort you to your room."

I was tired, a given, as my shoes dragged along the ground, tearing up patches of neatly trimmed grass. So immersed in my thoughts, I couldn't prevent myself from colliding into Koenma, whom had spun around with a sudden thought.

"Oh, sorry about that, I should have given a warning! Anyways," Koenma smiled and he slipped a ring over my index finger.

"Er... thanks?"

Koenma chuckled before explaining. "It's a communication ring that I've invented and should allow you to speak the language here."

Curiously, I spun the ring around. The ring hung loosely, nearly sliding off. Moving the ring onto my thumb, I held out my hand to admire the way it glinted in the sunlight.

"Can I speak other languages?"

"Yes and a great deal of them." He smiled fondly at the ring, as if it were the greatest invention in the universe. "It works well with written works, too."

I nodded.

"Oh, and one last thing," he eyed me warily, "you should probably talk to Hiei, get to know him, as it might make everything easier."

I grimaced, lips twisting in a scowl. "Sorry, but he's… intimidating."

This time, he tossed back his head and roared out in laughter. It was hard to believe he was this god, king, whatever, when he was practically shaking with mirth (I think I saw a booger come swinging out), but despite all that, he somehow managed to keep the blue pacifier between his teeth. _It wasn't that funny_, I frowned, _and he was intimidating!_

"Well, I guess he is rather frightening, what with his new height," he wiped away a tear (and his nose). "He used to be smaller, very small, but about five years ago, his demon blood caused a growth spurt. He reached his people's age." He frowned, eyes glazing over while reminisced. "Actually, he was intimidating back then, too," he shivered, before shaking his head. "The same thing happened to Yukina, too…" his words died, and an uneasy look overcame him, as if he had almost revealed something secret, "yes, anyways, enough of that, let's get to your room."

Koenma continued to chuckle, now and then, as one does after they have laughed too long. Even so, he led the way back, keeping up a steady conversation (amid the chuckles) about the people I'd likely see. I nodded mutely; too tired to answer his excited chatter, too tired, even, to ask who had changed my clothes. Before long, we were standing before a door.

"Now, I think Yukina is actually preparing dinner, and if you'd like, she'd probably be more than happy to bring you a plate." Koenma patted his stomach, "hm, maybe I should stop by the kitchen and sneak a bite – anyways, if you have any further questions…"

Koenma's words were fading away, a breeze sweeping the words away with gentle hands. I watched his mouth, staring at his pacifier and pondering how he could even speak around the childish object. Once he was done, Koenma bid goodbye with a soft smile and swept down the hall.

Tiredly, I entered the room. Shrugging the bag off, I allowed it to hit the floor. I was too tired to put away all my things. The desire to sleep was strong and was probably caused by the traumatic morning that had, at least in my mind, lasted a lifetime. Head throbbing and muscles aching, I fell back on the futon with a groan. I rolled into a ball, burying under the sheets. I wanted to separate myself from the world – what had been my world.

With a yawn, I closed my eyes and blocked out all the bizarre thoughts fluttering within my mind. _In the morning, everything will be much better._ I began drifting off into a much-needed slumber.

_But for now, I have somewhere to stay._


	4. Adapting is the Key

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

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Chapter Four - Adapting is the Key

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Sun light filtered in, the warm rays pushing away the shadows and lighting up the room with the intensity of a spotlight. The sun's rays splashed upon my cheeks and scratched at the skin with playful nails. The darkness, beneath resting eyelids, began to lighten into a red-orange color, as the rays were too strong to be ignored.

With a sigh, I opened my eyes. After having tried to ignore the sun for a good half hour, I decided to heed the sun's demands and face the day. Sitting up, I waited a moment, not wanting a repeat from yesterday, before forcing my legs over the side. I stretched and enjoyed the sound of popping limbs. Scratching my head, I could feel the stiffness of the tangled strands. I decided, right then and there, that a much-needed shower was to be the first order of the day.

After rummaging through my bag, I gathered an armful of clothes and toiletry items. I found the bathroom rather easily, as it was directly across the room. Inside, there were two rooms. One room resembled a small walk-in shower, evident from the small, handheld showerhead near the floor. In the other room, there was a round bathtub. Setting my clothes down, I decided to just take a shower and call it good.

Feeling clean and surprisingly, more rested, I went on the prowl for food. With all the rooms and several hallways, I thought I'd be hunting all day for food. Rounding a corner, there was the smell of cooking meat. Stomach growling, I suddenly regretted not attending dinner last night. I had heard someone call my name, but tired, and still reeling from Koenma's news, had ignored him or her and continued to sleep.

Up ahead, the smell of food grew stronger. Approaching the sliding door, I inhaled and cherished the mouthwatering aroma. From within, the sound of a woman humming reached my ears. Sliding the door open, I braced myself for the new day.

_Well, _I glanced down at my communication ring, _might as well get the introductions out of the way._

Standing near the stove, was a small, slender woman. Immediately, I eyed her dark, turquoise hair. I had never seen such a hair color, but rather than looking strange, it was beautiful, what with the way it glinted in the sunlight. She hummed while swaying, soft hair swishing from side to side, where the red ribbon tied at the end began to resemble a pendulum.

Smiling, I cleared my throat and prepared to introduce myself. However, from that mere sound, the humming died, like an ending record. The utensil in her hand clattered to the ground and she whirled around in fright.

"I'm so sorry! " I stammered while rushing forward to snatch up the fallen spatula. "I didn't mean to scare you!"

"Oh, my, Karen, it's you!" she caught her breath, "don't apologize. I shouldn't have reacted so wildly."

Smiling sheepishly, I placed the spatula in the sink. "Well, anyways, I'm sorry er –"

"Yukina," she replied with a bow. "I hope your stay here is pleasant."

She was beautiful, almost too much, and it almost didn't seem possible for someone to possess such beauty. She had smooth, porcelain skin and rather large, crimson – I was struck with déjà vu. She had the same eyes as Hiei, but whereas his were always narrowed with anger, hers were wide with kindness, a beacon of light.

"By the way, you're just in time. I just finished the fish!"

_Fish,_ I mused, _for breakfast, well, that's different._

Offering my services, I set up the table, of course, with her help, for there were many tiny bowls. Eyeing the table, which had no chairs, I waited until she seated herself upon a mat. Copying her, I folded my legs beneath my bottom. Once I was seated, I stared at all the fish, rice, and vegetables, trying to decide what to eat first.

"Oh!" exclaimed Yukina, noticing my hesitation. "I'm sorry. You're not use to this type of breakfast, are you?"

"It's okay," I smiled while fiddling with the chopsticks, something I actually knew how to use. "I'm not a picky eater," which was true, as I had grown up in an orphanage with the motto 'eat what is cooked or don't eat at all'. "Besides, I like trying new things."

Despite my reassurance, Yukina continue to watch while I nibbled on a strip of fish. I chewed slowly, taking note of the flavor.

"Wow," I picked up another slice, "I've never tasted fish like this before!"

She sighed with relief, "you really like it – the flavor isn't too strong for you?"

"No, trust me, it's really good."

A minute later, I was getting a second helping. I was hungry and her cooking was unbelievable! I wasn't sure what it was called or what it was made of, but one thing was for sure, it was delicious.

While we ate, talking idly about various topics, I noticed that Yukina didn't only look graceful, but was graceful. The way she talked, the way she moved about, and even the way she ate, all seemed perfect. She took tiny bites, guiding her chopsticks easily about her food, whereas, I gobbled my food, wielding the chopsticks, like I was at war. She sat up straight, a huge contrast from me, because I was practically hunched over my plate. She sipped from her cup, seemingly able to keep from blanching at the hot tea. I slurped, jerking away every time the hot tea scalded my tongue. She tapped her napkin against her mouth and I smudged mine against my face. Yukina's plate looked clean, nice and shiny; my plate looked nasty, nice and sloppy.

"– and Keiko will be by later to take you shopping. It was Koenma request."

I caught the end of her statement with a frown. "Who's Keiko?"

"She's a friend," she replied, "the spirit detective – Yusuke's girlfriend."

_Spirit detective, _I frowned, _right, Koenma had mentioned him yesterday – among other things._

"Mm, all right," I took a quick bite, "I have money for some clothes."

She laughed softly, "no, don't worry about that! Koenma is paying for it."

I opened my mouth to argue, forgetting that I had just taken a bite, quickly swallowed, then opened my mouth again.

"He said no arguments," Yukina countered before I could dispute Koenma's charity. "It'll be fun!"

A small smile, one that promised only good things, graced her face. It was rather hard to argue with someone with a smile like that, even harder, when they had been nothing but nice.

"Are you coming too, Yukina?"

She shook her head, "I'm afraid not. I have a few things to do for Genkai."

I tilted my head to the side. "Uh, who's Genkai?"

"She's the owner of this temple… Hm, it's more of a house than a temple. Genkai said it belonged in her family and she's fixed it up quite well." She paused, dabbing at her mouth. "She's away right now, but you'll meet her soon."

"Does she know about me?" I mumbled, glancing away uncertainly, "because, I don't want to intrude or anything."

"Yes," she smiled reassuringly, "Koenma explained everything."

Offering to wash the dishes, an argument I barely won, as Yukina tried to use her charming smile, I contemplated the days to come. Life here, in this foreign land, was going to take time getting accustomed to, but I was rather adaptable. For instance, instead of sitting in chairs, here, they kneeled on cushions. I had also never had seasoned fish, vegetables, or rice for breakfast, but that actually was delicious. And, after leaving the washroom, there were these slippers sitting outside the door. I thought maybe they belonged to someone, but they were clean and unused. Perhaps, I was supposed to wear the slippers around the house, since the entire house consisted of wooden flooring.

_Dang_, I frowned down at the shoes gracing my feet. _I hope I'm not ruining the floors._

Obviously, I was going to have to learn this country's customs. After all, from what Koenma had explained, I might be here for a while. If anything, I was adaptable. I had to be while growing up.

Washing the last dish, I said, "Yukina, I want to learn your customs." I allowed those words to sink in before continuing, "I don't want to be a burden, scuffing up the floors with my shoes, or wondering why you have funny shaped toilets."

It took Yukina a moment to catch on, but once she did, her eyes softened. "Karen," she began slowly, "you are not a burden and there is no need to fret over these floors –"

"But, I want to learn." I lowered my eyes nervously, not even sure, why I was nervous, "I'll be staying here and now that I can understand your language – I want you to teach me. Teach me the customs here and well – the use of those slippers and stuff like that, because I figured out the toilet… common sense, I guess."

"Karen –"

"Please," I intervened, "it'll give me something to do."

We stared at each other, which was intimidating. It was then that I noticed she was slightly taller, like a few centimeters. I sighed. Was 5'5" no longer a good enough height? For such a soft-spoken woman, Yukina was rather assertive, not with her words, but with her eyes, as she hardly blinked, seeming to pierce one with her beautiful eyes. After a moment, Yukina nodded her head with a smile. Letting out a nervous chuckle, I swiped a hand across my cheek, accidently smearing dishwater bubbles on my face. Yukina laughed while reaching up to dab at the bubbles with a dishtowel.

"Is someone else here?" I asked, noticing a plate she set aside.

"Yes, Mr. Hiei's here," she glanced out the kitchen window. "He'll be in soon from his training."

I flinched, hearing his name, for the memories of him were not good. In fact, there was nothing good about him. Quickly, my mind flashed with an image of Hiei stopping the purple demon's claw. Yeah, okay, so he saved me and I was grateful. However, I could come up with a list of bad things to counter that good image. For example, he knocked me out with a sword, which may not have hurt right then, but afterward, the pain nearly induced an onslaught of vomit! And already, I had the deep ring of purple around my wrist. His thumbprint appeared black against the side of my wrist. My neck sported the redness from where my shirt collar dug in, but I covered it with a high-collared shirt. I covered my wrist with the sleeve of my shirt.

Hiei was frightening.

"I'm sorry Karen," I turned away from Yukina to hide my trembling hands. "I know you're not fond of Mr. Hiei, but he is a good person."

I quietly nodded, but was still unconvinced.

"I'm very grateful to him," she continued in Hiei's defense, "for he has saved my life many times."

_A good person, _I held in a sigh, _sure._

Well, Hiei was _good_ to her and saving her was probably something he enjoyed. Yukina was beautiful, kind, and perfect, the very image of an angel – who wouldn't save her? I know I would, or at least attempt to, but having been born a natural klutz, where breathing and walking took some effort, I was rather limited in my rescuing abilities. Still, I'd help anyone screaming – whispering – for assistance.

"_Saving someone is going to be the death of you," rang Maria's voice._

Those words had been Maria's response when I had jumped in a pool, trying to save a little girl. I had been eight, a little girl myself, but that hadn't prevented my attempt. I could remember clearly, the way I tossed off my hand-me-down, dinosaur floaties, and jumped in without stopping to alert a lifeguard.

The funny thing about the situation was the idea of a non-swimmer trying to save a drowning girl. In the end, I replaced the girl and the lifeguard had to save me, but it was worth it.

I blinked, as a doorbell echoed loudly, disrupting the memory.

"That must be Keiko," chirped Yukina. "Come meet her, Karen!"

With that, Yukina grabbed my hand and hurriedly led the way to the front door. As we rushed through the living room, I eyed the couches, armchairs, and TV. Against the wall, there was a huge shelf, and I caught a glimpse of the various picture frames. Before I could examine the pictures more thoroughly, a new voice rang in the room.

"Hello," a warm smile greeted me, "I'm Keiko."

Since Yukina had mentioned Keiko being Yusuke's girlfriend, I honestly didn't know what to expect of her. However, whatever thoughts I may have had were chased away once Keiko introduced herself. Right away, I felt comfortable around Keiko, as if I could share all my secrets, or tell her about my latest dreams, something one just didn't do with a stranger. She didn't seem like a stranger, not with those warm, cinnamon-colored eyes, which, by the way, seemed familiar. I stared harder and discovered that her eyes were the same color as Maria's eyes.

"Hi," I murmured shyly, after realizing that she was waiting for a reply. "I'm Karen and it's nice t-to meet y-you!"

Keiko enveloped me in a gentle hug and caused me to stammer out the rest of my sentence in surprise. She held me for a few seconds, seeming to convey a message, one I couldn't quite comprehend, but the hug felt wonderful, like being warmed by a roaring fireplace in the middle of winter. Maybe it was because she had this motherly quality about her that made the hug special. Maybe it was because we were the same height! Whatever the reason, I was much happier and quickly stored away the feeling.

"It must be strange for you to be so far away, but you won't be alone." Keiko released me. "I'll be here every day," her gaze was sincere, honest, "if you want some company."

She was so compassionate, that had she utter such kind words yesterday, I would have bawled like a baby. Instead, I gave her my most generous smile.

"That would be nice… and thank you for the hug, I needed it."

After bidding goodbye to Yukina, albeit, sadly, for I was slightly bummed she couldn't come too, we set off. Once outside, I immediately eyed the hill leading down to the thousand steps of doom, or so I had dubbed them. I frowned, remembering the horrible, repulsive and sickening way my body had tumbled down the stairs. Thus with each step, each _ginger _step, I forced myself to keep from muttering darkly at the cold stones. It was a painful memory.

Keiko was a great companion. She kept up a steady conversation and not only asked questions, but also conversed as if we were old friends.

Shopping was an unfamiliar act, something I rarely did, since new clothes were not something I, or the orphanage, could afford. At first, I was timid, uncertain about what to get, while Keiko bounced around the store, criticizing and appraising various outfits. It was amusing to watch Keiko tear through the store with the energy of a pre-teen on their first shopping spree, not that she was old or anything, but she had to be in her mid-twenties.

"How much were we supposed to spend," I tried to look over Keiko's shoulder as she blocked the cash register. The saleslady kept ringing up article after article of clothing and I whispered worriedly, "…because that's a lot."

"Nonsense, you can never have enough clothes!" she beamed. "Besides, Koenma said to spend as much as we want, so we're just heeding orders, ne?"

_She _was heeding orders. When it came to shopping, Keiko went kind of wild. Throughout the entire shopping, all I had to do was try on clothes, since Keiko picked out everything. However, I wasn't complaining, because Keiko had good taste in clothes. I didn't have any taste, had _never_ developed a taste, because my attire was what I had known my entire life – cheap and simple, or hand-me-downs.

"Keiko," I tried again while we packed several large sacks into the car's trunk, "I don't think I need all this." I mean, it really was a _lot_ of clothes; it was more clothes than I had _ever_ owned in my entire life!

"Yes, you do," she insisted. Quickly, she eyed me with a look akin to something along the lines of a mother putting her foot down, "and that is that. Now, how about some tea, oh," her eyes lit up, "I know the perfect teashop!"

Stowing the last sack, Keiko promptly locked the car, and proceeded to lead the way to the teashop. She chatted excitedly again, but it wasn't annoying, no, she was simply filling in the silences, trying to avoid any awkward pauses. I listened amiably, focused on her words and rather enthralled by her story about a movie she had seen recently, when there was _that _feeling – the feeling of being watched. I glanced over a shoulder, as goose bumps dotted the back of my neck, like fingernails dragging across the skin, and narrowed my eyes.

I searched the crowd, eyed all the faces, but no one stood out among the swarm of people bustling about the city. I searched again, needing to find something out of the ordinary. I glanced at the women giggling from a day of shopping, theirs eyes alight with a maniac gleam of having won another piece of clothing, a treasured shoe. Men were flooding the streets, each carrying briefcases, and looking dead tired, as they headed home, griping loudly about crappy bosses. Everything was all in order, completely normal. So why was my skin crawling with warm tingles?

"Karen," I visibly jerked, as Keiko touched my shoulder, "what is it?"

I frowned with a shake of my head. "I just – just felt like someone was watching us."

"I wouldn't doubt it," she eyed the crowd calmly. "It's most likely Hiei, probably orders from Koenma, I mean, he is the only one around since Kuwabara and Kurama had classes and Yusuke is away in De –"her words died, seeming to debate on whether to continue or not. I placed a hand on her arm and squeezed, once, just to let her know that I _knew _about all that… other stuff. "Well, you know that _faraway_ place…"

Finding out that Hiei was out there, right now, hovering in the shadows like some sort of stalker, did not bode well for me. In fact, there was a burst of emotions whirring around my head, from fear to annoyance, and I contemplated, rather seriously, about sticking my tongue out or giving him the finger, but no, that was immature. Sighing, I followed Keiko into the café where hopefully the walls would create a barrier from his harsh eyes.

Herbal aromas wafted around, creating an atmosphere where one could relax and unwind from all the stresses that come from a hard day. There were small chairs and sofas scattered about, both giving the place a nice, homey feeling. Everything about the teashop was soothing, so much, that my aching muscles were fading away.

After thanking the waitress, I blew on my tea, "Um, Keiko," another blow, "earlier you mentioned Kuwabara, who is that?"

"He's Yusuke's best friend," then she lowered her voice, "not that they would ever admit to that!" We both laughed and the small act nearly upturned my teacup. I hurried to right the cup while she continued, "he's a great guy."

"Mm," I mumbled while tasting my tea, "was he a spirit detective too, like Yusuke – is he," I cleared my throat, "is he one of _them_ too?"

She leaned forward, our voices mere whispers, "You mean," her eyes widened, "oh, no, he's human, well, he has spirit energy, a lot of energy, but out of all the guys, he's the normal one." Leaning forward, Keiko grabbed my hand, "demons are not all bad, at least, not our guys."

_Yeah, _I nodded my head, _but let's hope they're not rude like Hiei._

"Yeah, they are quite a pair, always arguing and fighting. You'd think, now that Kuwabara is enrolled at the University, that he'd be a little more mature, but throw Yusuke at him, and Kuwabara goes off like a mad cat."

"He goes to the University?"

"Yes, we both do. I'm not sure how much longer he has, but it's my last year." Keiko smiled fondly, remembering something, "Yusuke laughed when he heard that Kuwabara was accepted, I don't know why though – okay, so maybe I do know. Kuwabara wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, which I suppose Yusuke had something to do with, not to mention Kuwabara's, and just about every other guy's, obsession with being the best fighter. Actually, Yusuke and Kuwabara seemed to grow somewhat more intelligent once they met Kurama, a good thing, if you ask me."

"Kurama," I frowned, trying to remember whom Kurama was, "who is that?"

"He probably told you his name was Shuuichi, right?"

"Kurama and Shuuichi – is the same person?" She nodded, "okay, so he's one of the demons I've met?"

Keiko gave me a look, as if what she was about to say was going to be confusing. "I wouldn't say he's a demon – he is more of a demon than Yusuke, but Yusuke isn't really demon, well, maybe they are similar, in a way – okay, forget that! Shuuichi is his human name and Kurama is –"I stared down at my tea, trying to draw some kind of family tree type structure for putting together all of these humans, demons, and whatnots. "Oh, you're already confused," Keiko waved her hand, "sorry, how about you ask Kurama yourself. He's charming, a true gentleman, and I am sure he would not mind telling you."

I laughed quietly while picking up my tea, once I was sure it was less hot and safe to drink. "The way you talk about them, it's hard to believe that they were these spirit detectives, you know, fighting demons and everything."

"I guess it puts that one saying 'don't judge a book by its cover' to work then, ne?" She poured herself another cup of tea, "Trust me, they're softies and if my words are not enough proof, just wait until you see how Kuwabara acts around Yukina." Keiko smiled mischievously, "he's her boyfriend, you know? That man treats her as if she's his entire universe, which by the way, his universe used to be his cat."

There was a lapse in the conversation, filled by the idle chatter of the teashop, and the occasional ringing of the shop's bell. I sipped from my tea while casting a sidelong glance at Keiko, wondering why she was suddenly forlorn looking. Then, I remembered Keiko mentioning that Yusuke was away in Demon world.

_I'm an idiot,_ I fingered the hem of my shirt, _she probably misses him and here I am, asking all these questions._

"When I found out about what Yusuke did on a daily basis, why he missed school so much, why he was always gone," she frowned, "I was shocked – It was hard to imagine that demons existed, but then I thought of Yusuke," her eyes softened, "I always worry when he went away on his missions. I'd stay up late into the night, just hoping he was okay, that he'd come back home safely."

_She loves him._

I decided then, that even though the word demons caused me to shiver, I was going to treat them, these men she praised about, with respect, as I would treat anyone else. Idly, Hiei's face fluttered to the surface, trying to say 'hey, don't you leave me out', but I mentally slapped it away like an annoying fly. Well, I'd treat Hiei with respect, if he treats me with respect!

After spending an entire afternoon shopping, where, for the first time, I'd actually felt like a girl, it almost seemed unfair to face the upcoming, grueling task of climbing up the stairs of doom. I stared up at the formidable stairs, not wanting to climb them (I should have worn a short, sleeved t-shirt), and Keiko seemed to be the doing the same, but whereas I was frowning, she was glaring.

"Argh, I hate these stairs," grumbled Keiko.

I decided to separate the stairs into sets of a dozen, which helped a bit. I concentrated on twelve stairs at a time, then another. I was so caught up in my bizarre system, that I barely noticed the muffled curses beside me. With each step, Keiko was muffling a curse, and at the end of the curse, she hissed out Yusuke's name. It was kind of scary, seeing Keiko this worked up and cursing Yusuke, even though he was an entire world away. Well, at least I know not to piss Keiko off.

After hours, the sun long gone, stars dotting the sky – okay, maybe twenty minutes, we made it to the top. My calves were screaming and the muscles seemed to throb with every step to my room. I would have just tossed the bags into the room, but I followed Keiko's example, by placing them on the futon. Deciding to put them away later, an idea Keiko probably would have refused on a better day, I followed her to the kitchen.

I was immensely happy, giddy with joy, about Keiko joining us for dinner. I helped Yukina and Keiko in the kitchen, mostly just dicing and slicing vegetables, because I had no idea what it was they were cooking. I felt kind of like one of those assistants to the top chef, where you followed their directions to a tee, but it was still fun, and surprisingly, I avoided cutting my fingers. I even set the table, this time on my own, and surprised both of the women with how much I remembered from setting the table earlier – well, I almost set the table perfectly, save for a couple of bowls, but other than that, it was perfecto!

Yes, things were going well, and I was smiling, more than I had been in a long time, but on the way to the dining room, the smile fell apart. Crash and burn, hit the deck, slap the ass (mule's ass) and await his kick, that's what happened when I saw who was seated at the table – Hiei.

He was seated upon a cushion, legs crossed, an elbow resting upon a knee, and the other leaning on the table, looking so arrogantly bored, as if he were a prince awaiting his dinner. Hurriedly, I glanced away, concentrating instead on the floor. I decided to sit as far away as possible, which wasn't far enough, since the only seat available was directly across from him. Settling in my seat, I peeked at him, a simple lift of the eyes, but immediately regretted the quick action, for he was staring right back, red eyes blazing. I paled.

Thus, went dinner: Keiko and Yukina talking away, Hiei glaring my face off, and me, looking like a drug addict with the way I kept scratching at my cheek from his intense glares. When he finally left, silent like a ghost, the atmosphere lightened. From there, dinner was better.

"You were nearing the end of high school," Keiko asked with wide eyes, "well, you have to go back! Education is important…"

I nodded my head all throughout Keiko's education speech. I regretted having mentioned that I was in my last year of high school, but she did ask, and I wasn't going to ignore my friend's question. Of course, I didn't think she'd explode with a speech.

"We, perhaps," Yukina cut in, how she did it, I don't know, since Keiko was talking a mile a second, "could inform Botan. She may be able to ask Koenma if it would be okay for Karen to attend school here."

"Who's Botan?" I asked, immensely glad that Keiko had calmed down.

"Botan works for Koenma," answered Yukina.

Keiko nodded, "she used to help the guys with their missions back in the day. She also helps Koenma."

"Yeah, Koenma mentioned he helps put people in their rightful place." I tapped my chin, trying to remember Koenma's words.

"Mm-hm, and Botan is one of the many ferries, or as we call them, grim reapers, that help deliver the spirits."

My jaw dropped, literally popped open, ready to be used as a dustpan. I would have remained that way, jaw open, fly probably popping in and out, until Keiko and Yukina gushed out that Botan was nice, good, and a bowl of cherries.

I was still reeling from the news that this Botan woman was a grim reaper, the Grim Reaper, and questioned why, out of all the information I had learned in the past few days, _this _information seemed to rip the rug out from underneath my feet. Yes, Karen, there are three worlds, filled with demons and oh, wait, forgot to mention that not only is there one grim reaper, but hundreds, and guess what, we know one personally! Yeah, well as long as I didn't have to bargain for my soul with a game of rock-paper-scissors, then everything would be fine.

Noticing the time, Keiko gasped, practically flew out of the kitchen with a rush a words. Yukina and I rushed out behind her, making sure she grabbed everything important – keys, purse, shoes, and _earring_!

I snatched up a small golden hoop. "Keiko, your earring fell out!"

"Aw, the back broke," muttered Keiko, taking a moment to pause in the act of slipping on her stylish heels. Keiko huffed, appearing sullen, "my favorite one, too – ooh, gosh, the time!"

And with that, Keiko babbled about how she was supposed to pick up something from her parent's house, and hurriedly turned to hug us. I stared over Keiko's shoulder, feeling morose, like a flower already wilting from the withdrawal of water, but when the hug ended, I gave her my best smile.

"Remember, what I said earlier, okay Karen?"

"Okay, in that case, I'll see you tomorrow," I joked.

I waved goodbye to Keiko until she was no longer visible. Closing the door, I followed Yukina back to kitchen, intent on cleaning everything up, or as much of it as Yukina would allow. Seriously, she was soft spoken and pleasant, but also extremely stubborn. I refused to be treated as a guest and had decided to do my part too, which was the least I could do for being allowed to stay here.

"Hah, penny –," I picked up a weird looking coin from the floor, "or whatever it is here."

The doorbell rang, sounding like a monk was banging on a huge bell atop the roof, and having yet to enter the kitchen, I headed back to the door.

"I'll get it," I called out to Yukina.

Sticking the coin in my pocket, I hurried back to open the door.

"Yukina, my love – oh, well you're not my love."

Tall and tall, could just about sum up this stranger, this man that had all but shouted to kingdom come. Why was everyone so tall? He was taller than Hiei! His beady, brown eyes were pinned to my face, probably wondering whom this strange girl was answering the door. Suddenly he frowned, and having never met this man before, I backed away nervously.

"Oh, Kazuma," Yukina approached the giant with a pretty smile, "I thought you said not to expect you until tomorrow."

"I could hardly stand to stay away that long," he picked up Yukina's delicate hands, enfolding them gently within his larger, cage-like hands. "I studied all day, without pause, so that I may bask in your beauty for the evening."

I almost giggled at the sweetness pouring off the man. It was hard to believe that I was afraid of this tall, serious looking man. He was tall, yes, serious, perhaps, but the moment Yukina appeared, his image was shattered with a goofy grin and sparkling eyes.

"Kazuma, this is Karen," introduced Yukina.

Bounding forward, the man flashed a set of pearly whites, "I am Kazuma Kuwabara, the Fighter of Love."

Kuwabara was hilarious! Seconds after he stepped over the threshold, he was gushing with stories from his younger days. Most of the stories involved Yusuke and fights. With each story, he would wave his arms around, eyes bulging and voice filled with various emotions. At one point, he grabbed a pillow, straddled it and explained how his eighty-eighth fight had ended with just one concentrated punch. I was enjoying the explanation, laughing loudly at his facial expressions. Yukina was much more lady-like and merely shook her head with a small smile.

As the evening wore on, I knew it was time give the couple some alone time. They kept giving each other the 'look', the kind where they were suddenly lost in one another, nothing else matter and I was all but another piece of furniture.

Excusing myself, I went back to the kitchen. I decided to do the dishes, freeing up Yukina's usual chore for the night. Once the dishes were done, there was nothing else left to do, clean, or scrub. I was still wide-awake, riding on the high from having the best day of my life in a long time. There was no way I could go to bed yet, where I would only toss and turn.

Restless, I headed out into one of the many halls. I wanted to go outside, maybe take a little walk, but there were so many halls, each one twisting and turning like slithering snakes. I must have slid open every door, finding more rooms, a couple of washrooms, and even a cat (which fled out an open window), before finally, one led onto a wraparound porch.

I rushed to the wooden railing and stared up happily at the glowing moon. I felt accomplished, like an explorer finding a one-of-a-kind artifact. The moon felt great, looked great, and I simply gazed up at the yellow orb. Stars were dazzling against the black sky, seeming to dance, an ancient ballet, and I wanted to reach up, scoop a handful, and breathe on them, like blowing on glittering embers.

Softly, I said under my breath, "they're brighter here than back home –"

I whirled around.

If it weren't for the tingles nipping at my neck, I would have been oblivious to his presence. In fact, I rather wished for the obliviousness. Like always, he looked dark and venomous, like one of those cruel kings observing the battle of lowly gladiators. I sucked in air, backing up to the rails, trapped and cornered. He was leaning against the open doorway, arms smugly crossed, and head tilted slightly. His body, large, _defined_ body was casting shadows, the black tips reaching out to wrap around me.

_Remember, Karen, respect, respect, R-E-S-P-E-C-T!_

_No, _I argued, _not now, I mean – god, look at him!_

"…_you should probably talk to Hiei…"_

Hearing Koenma's words, I resigned myself to the worst, knowing he was indeed right. There was no point in ignoring Hiei, this rude demon, and I needed to stop being a coward. Inhaling, I forced a small smile on my face, aiming for some kindness, but Hiei's lips simply turned downward. It was almost as if he was trying to intimidate me further – it was working.

"H-hello," I swallowed.

He didn't even flinch. His eyes remained narrowed, the red piercing me, like a sharpen blade. Gathering what little courage I possessed, I pushed away from the railing. Clearing my throat, a quick 'ahem', simply to find the words to start a decent conversation (actually, I was just stalling), I faced him with a level gaze.

"About yesterday –"

"It was foolish," his words dripped with acid and completely melted away my measly courage, "and a complete waste of time to bring you back."

His tone, eyes, hell, his body alone, would make the strongest man quiver and so I felt no shame. I shrank away, folding in on myself. I wanted to wrap my arms around my torso, create some sort of barrier against his harsh voice, but it seemed foolish to do so. Quickly, in order to save myself from utter embarrassment, as I felt like vomiting, I practically groped for my courage, scraping it off the wooden floors.

"If it was such a waste of time," I began, surprising myself at how strong my voice sounded, "then you shouldn't have come after me." Then, for added measurement, a mask for my panicky self, "jerk."

Those crimson eyes flashed dangerously and within the blink of an eye, he was standing before me. He moved quickly and in doing so, he brought his heat, those flames that licked with the intensity to shake my very core. Hating the heat, the feel of his fire coursing inside me, I pushed him away. The small contact created an electrical shock, singeing my fingertips, but it was worth it, for he staggered back. His eyes were still narrowed, but instead of angry, he seemed perplexed and wary. Panting, I held my hand to my body while he continued to regard me as one would a strange animal.

"The connection," I whispered while massaging my fingertips, "it's true."

His face crumbled with disgust, lips pulling into a grimace, confirming my answer. He appeared, for the entire world, trapped in a situation he could not escape. I knew this, because I felt trapped against my will. I was tied to this rude, hateful demon.

A sudden breeze fluttered my hair, a symbol of his disappearance, and this time, I wasn't surprised by his bizarre speed, but grateful for it. Free now, I hurried inside. I ran away, not bothering to close the door, because I was running away from the fire.

Outside, in the darkness, red eyes glowed brightly.


	5. Pushing and Pulling

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

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Chapter Five- Pushing and Pulling

* * *

The sun felt good, like a winter fireplace, seeping forth with slow, casual movements. Spicy, green grass danced back and forth in an ancient dance known only to nature. The sky was endless, stretching with wisps of white to streak across the heavens. Birds twittered and soared. Ants marched along the dirt. All in all, it was a beautiful day.

Two weeks had flown by, which wasn't a great deal of time, but already I felt at home. Thanks to Yukina, I was familiar with a few customs and it made adapting to the new life much easier. The days were comforting and there was hardly a dull day.

Within that time, I had also met Botan, the Grim Reaper, _Death, _and life that day slapped me in the face. Botan was the most bubbly, energetic woman I have ever met. She was quite a character. She had blue hair and fuchsia eyes, both attributes alarming, until I remembered that she wasn't exactly human.

She had arrived with Koenma to deliver news that I would be able to go back to school. Koenma had been completely serious, as he talked about the documents he had arranged, but it was hard to take him seriously when Botan was making cat-like faces over his shoulder. However, I was polite, nodding and smiling, but inside, I was roaring with laughter. Seriously, how did she make those whiskers appear?

After discussing my education, he brought up…the _connection, _the sole purpose for his arrival last week.

To me, the connection was a disease, cancer, something with no cure. I wanted to run and haul myself back to New York City, where everyone spoke English, had normal hair, and didn't suck on pacifiers. For now, I was stuck here, which wasn't entirely bad, for I finally had friends, but _he_ made everything worse.

Since the incident on the back porch, I avoided Hiei and he had done the same. We had exiled one another, decided we were both plagues, disgusting and deadly, like an unstoppable staph infection. Our dislikes were a mutual agreement, unique in that we didn't need to say it, because it hovered in the air. I was doing well too, as I spent the week without seeing his detestable eyes. Erasing him from my life made everything easier until the world started spinning and I hit the floor like a fallen boxer.

When I came to, Yukina was dabbing at my forehead and I was dazed, eyes rolling around, and drool probably dribbling onto the floor. Seconds later, the door flew open and in staggered Kuwabara, supporting an unconscious Hiei. Once that happened, Botan was contacted, Koenma was summoned, and I fainted again into the puddle of drool.

As Koenma explained, we were 'quite literally bonded', which meant, our exile did more damage than what we perceived as good. Koenma was furious and made quite a fuss, lecturing about the importance of preserving both of our lives, saying we needed to take this seriously, and then established a list of rules. It was bad enough, having to be _connected _with him, but now, I had to be around him constantly.

Immediately, his room was moved next to mine. I ate with him three times a day, which made every meal uncomfortable. If he wanted to train, I was forced (not by Koenma, but Hiei) to go with him. If I wanted to go outside, I had to _convince_ him to come outside with me, because no one can force Hiei to do anything. It was frustrating. I wasn't used to being around someone all the time, day in and day out. I hated the new rules.

He didn't say much, which was fine. Still, that didn't stop his glowers from burning holes in the back of my head. The unusual heat still burned whenever he came too close. My plan was to stay in range but keep as far away as possible.

The first day we obeyed the new regulations, it was not great. It wasn't even bad. No, it was infuriating.

I had been asleep, completely lost in la-la land, until the door slid open with enough force to knock a chair over. I awakened abruptly, fighting the entanglement of the blanket, until it won and tossed me over the side. There, standing in the doorway, looking for the entire world like a pissed off lion, was Hiei. I had just sat there, half asleep, wondering what he was yelling about, as my communication ring was sitting on the nightstand. Once he caught on, Hiei was even more annoyed. I was thinking he may have not been a morning person and if that was the case, then why was he here! I had turned to get back into bed and ignore his brash behavior, but he strode over to the nightstand. Picking up the ring between his thumb and index finger, he flicked the ring, and where had it landed, just guess – my forehead!

"_Argghhh," I cried in pain, the ring's collision causing my eyes to water, "what's your problem!"_

_"Get dress."_

"_No," I refused, "leave me alone!"_

"_Get dress, now."_

_Angry, embarrass, and hurt, I grabbed the pillow and hurled it across the room. Sadly, this only added to the humiliation, for the pillow didn't even make it all the way and instead of hitting him, it landed at his feet. _

_"Pathetic," he turned away, "three minutes."_

My mornings had been like that for the rest of the week. I couldn't wake myself as early as he wanted, which angered him. I couldn't keep up on his trek into the forest, which annoyed him. Then if I tried getting angry, he'd scoff and glare at me. If I tried yelling at him, he'd growl and glare at me. Sometimes, I refused to wear my ring so I wouldn't have to listen to his hateful words and that there, pissed him off.

Yes, the first few days had been awkward. I should've known it would be. He is a demon. I am a human. He hated me. I hated – no, I didn't hate him, because that was too cruel of a word. I wasn't cruel and so, hating him was uncharacteristic of me. I may hate various objects, like those night tables that stub toes or this temple's stairs of doom, but I could never hate a person. However, I did greatly dislike him. I disliked him a lot.

The next week went smoothly. He arrived an hour later than usual, and that, in its self, was a huge shock. I still had to wake up early, but it was becoming easier, and my internal clock was adapting. The extra time allowed me to prepare better for the day. I could dress properly and spend a bit of time packing items to amuse me for the day.

Currently, I was sketching the blades of grass against a huge tree. Sketching and reading were two things I did on a daily basis, as it helped to pass the time. Mostly, Hiei trained throughout the morning while I was left to amuse myself. At first, I couldn't go far, as our connection, or at least the range of our connection, was rather limited. Every other day, I wandered farther and farther away, but once there was a _tug, _I knew it was too far. There was, as I discovered, a time limited for our range too. If I was away too long, I got dizzy, and Hiei would come stomping after me, growling about being too far, and if I did so again, he'd run his sword across my neck.

Stashing my drawing away, I pulled out a water bottle. There was a series of sighs, the sound of something slicing the air, and I lifted my eyes. Hiei was a blur, practically a black dot, but I watched anyway. Most of the time, I couldn't see him, but sometimes he'd slow down to perform a few lazy flips or odd sword movements. Before, this would have scared me, had my eyes bulging, and mouth open like Pac-Man. Now, it was just another day out in the woods.

With a yawn and lazy stretch, I prepared to head out for a bit of exploring. Gathering my bag, I reached down to zip it close, but paused and stared at the extra bottle of water. I wasn't sure why I grabbed it. Hiei probably wouldn't drink it, but I decided to try and be hospitable. I mean, with all that zipping around, he had to be thirsty. With a sigh, I placed the bottle on a nearby log, smiled, and headed down a newly formed trail.

The grass parted, already familiar with my feet. Reaching out, I snagged at a twig, breaking it away from a bush with a gentle snap. Twiddling the twig, I continued down the path, completely at ease. A huge boulder towered over the grass and it marked the area for my favorite spot. The sun's rays filtered in through the limbs of trees, littering the ground with cool shadows.

Alone now, I set my bag down and twirled about with a loud laugh. My laughter echoed in the trees and caused a handful of birds to scattered away with a chorus of chirps. Holding up my hand, I blocked out the sun and watched the birds fly away.

_Pssshhhttt…_

"Huh," I looked over a shoulder, "hello?"

Letting my arm drop, I searched the woods. The noise had been faint, a mere whisper, but I was sure I had heard it behind me. Standing there beneath the sun, I should have felt joyous, but something was closing in on me. I swallowed and backed away, not sure what I was really doing. A last bird streaked out of a nearby tree and strangely, it didn't chirp, just flapped its wings furiously. I watched the bird with wide eyes, wishing it would have stayed with me, because in its flight, the bird left a soft buzzing.

Listening, I could hear the static. My heart began pounding, but not in my heart. The heartbeats were thundering in my head and together, with the static, they clashed together in a crescendo of noise. Smashing my fists against my head, I tried to block out the noise. Furiously, I shook my head.

"Stop – ah!"

I screamed as my sneaker snagged on a stray root. Hobbling on one leg, I rushed to right myself, but being a naturally clumsy person, that was just not meant to be. Crashing onto my back, I grunted loudly as my head whipped back onto the earth. Immediately, the static lifted.

_What the hell was that, _I questioned.

Thoroughly freaked out, I gave one last headshake, grabbed my bag, and started running. Using my bag to part the grass more easily, I swung it before me. I raced away, putting as much distance from that area. Bursting through a bush, I did half turn to avoid a branch and was slightly amazed at the newfound agility, but like all good things, this was just a ruse. An awkward hiccup tore from my throat as I collided into a brick wall. The sudden collision had my head spinning and I tilted backwards, not enough to fall, but enough to cause the wall to grab – wait, Hiei!

I spluttered again, mostly out of shock, and somewhat in pain, as Hiei wrapped a hand around my upper arm. Jerked upright, I hissed as his vice-like grip, a steel manacle, dug into my skin. Ignoring the pain of his hand, I pointed over my shoulder.

"Hiei," I panted, "I – noise, back there and – and –"Taking a deep breath, I tried again, but the sudden adrenaline was affecting my words. "It was loud and – d-did you hear it?"

Hiei's eyes flickered dismissively over my face, to the woods, then back again. He released my arm, practically shoving me away as he stared down at me with disbelief.

Rubbing my aching arm, I asked sullenly, "you didn't hear it? It sounded like static and," he raised an eyebrow, "it was loud," I finished lamely.

There was a solid minute of staring, the longest we had stared at each other since the night we met. Then, like a coward, I tore my eyes away. I still felt uneasy. Slipping my bag on, I started edging around Hiei while throwing furtive glances toward the area with the static.

"I want to go back," I uttered, the words a soft whisper.

Staring off in the direction of the woods, Hiei seemed to have not heard me. Slowly, he raised a bottle of water to his lips and took a swallow. Any other time and I would have been somewhat happy that he had accepted my meager gift, but I just wanted him to guzzle it down, go 'ah, that hit the spot', and head back to the temple. I had enough of nature for today.

Back at the temple, I didn't even head to the kitchen to help Yukina with lunch as I normally did, but hurried off to my room. Dumping my bag near a desk, I inhaled deeply. I felt better now. My head was much clearer and here, in the room, I felt saner. Closing my eyes, I counted to ten, inhaled, exhaled, and turned to head to the kitchen.

There, looking for the entire world like some sort of god, with his unnaturally good looks, was Hiei. I believe a majority of my nervousness and fear concerning the bond between Hiei and I, was his looks. Demon, he was. Demon, he acted. Yet, this demon was extremely handsome. He had that tall, dark, and handsome thing going on. He acted tall, dark, and handsome. His voice _was_ tall, dark, and handsome. It made me uneasy.

"Sorry, I just –"I swallowed, calming myself upon seeing him. He always gave me a fright, popping up out of nowhere, perhaps enjoying all the times I jerked like a fish on a hook. "You just – you're just always _there."_

"Hn."

Clearing my throat, I waited for him to talk, for obviously he had something to say if he had decided to follow me into my room. A minute ticked by and another, but he remained silent. Unaware, I clasped my left forearm behind my back, a nervous habit. It was five minutes now… six minutes – oh, is that a white butterfly, no, just lint – seven, eight, nine, ten.

"What," I demanded, my patience running thin.

"You tell me."

I nearly replied, to ask him what the hell he was talking about, but then I realized what he was getting at, "I told you."

His gaze lingered on my face, and then slowly lowered down my body. I felt like he was sizing me up, as one would an opponent, and I shrank away.

"W –"

"Pathetic," he uttered. Giving me one last look, he strode away.

Whatever I had been about to say died on my tongue. That one word hit like a bullet and slammed into my chest. I wondered if he had heard the static and was calling it pathetic. But why would he look at me like that? He just kept staring, eyeing me from the floor up, not even caring that it was perhaps rude to stare in such a way. Was he calling me pathetic?

Sighing, I sat down on the bed.

Maybe he was calling my reaction to the static, pathetic. It probably was pathetic, a huge over reaction on my part. It wasn't as if the static, that strange noise, hurt me; it was just weird. Perhaps, my ears popped, popped so badly, they just erupted with static. Whatever it was, I didn't like it.

"I'm not pathetic," I whispered. Then, "you're pathetic," I added for good measurement.

Deciding to ignore the static, write it off as a change of elevation and stress, I headed toward the kitchen.

Lunch went by fast and I was glad when Hiei had decided to eat later and left for his room. Lunch with Yukina alone always made me feel better.

Later, Kuwabara came over, as he always did, to see his lovely Yukina. I could never help but smile whenever they were together, I mean, they were just, well, in love. It was amazing how so in tuned they were with one another. In fact, their love was so great, that it was uncomfortable to be around them for long periods. So, making a bit of small talk, a laugh here and there, I soon excused myself to give them their private time.

Unsure of what to do, I decided to do some reading. I headed down another hallway and entered into a small reading room. Aside from being out in nature and drawing, reading was also one of my favorite past times. Luckily, the translation ring also helped translate the foreign books scattered about the room.

"Undecided," asked a voice after I had been staring at a row of books for a good fifteen minutes. I turned and eyed the small, older woman. "I could see why you would have trouble finding a book since they are all well written."

She was short, very short, coming up just under my chest. She had faded pink hair, which in her younger days, may have been a vivid pink. She was rather old, but seemed to be in perfect health, for she stood rim rod straight, no stooping whatsoever. Her wise, amber eyes glittered with knowledge, both good and bad. Taking in her age, I suddenly had an idea of who this woman was. Blushing, I hurriedly bowed my head, as Yukina sometimes did.

"Genkai, it's nice to finally have met you." Meeting her eyes shyly, I apologized, "I'm sorry that I have taken residence here in your temple… so suddenly, that is."

"Koenma has spoken of your situation and you are welcome here," then, "I hope you have been comfortable?"

I smiled, perhaps too enthusiastically, for she chuckled, "Yes, Yukina has been wonderful, but she's spending some time with Kuwabara right now, and I didn't want to bother them."

"He does visit quite a bit, doesn't he?" I nodded with a knowing grin. "He's infatuated with Yukina, as I'm sure you can tell, has been, since the first time he saw her." Selecting a book, Genkai flipped through it jadedly, "it's a wonder she responds to his feelings, given how immature he acts around the dimwit."

"Uh, the dimwit," I frowned, wondering if she were referring to Yukina.

"Yusuke," she quipped, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "I'm sure Koenma mentioned him a bit, that dimwitted student of mine?"

I nodded while accepting the book she handed to me.

"That's a good book," she then turned to a nearby window, "dimwitted, rebellious, and bratty just about sums up Yusuke."

Laughing, I could see that even though she criticized Yusuke, she was fond of him. For the rest of the afternoon, I stayed in the library with Genkai, just listening to her stories. I was rather interested in her stories concerning her fights. This one time, she teamed up with Kurama, Kuwabara, Hiei, and Yusuke in a demon tournament called, The Dark Tournament. It sounded frightening. I'm not sure how I would feel being surrounded by so many demons, but then again, Genkai and those men were skilled fighters.

The battles she described really captured my attention, especially with the ease in which she told them. I even laughed when she described Kuwabara's fight against a demon, the Beautiful Suzuka, who threw a weird veil over him. The veil was supposed to send him to an unknown dimension, where he would never return. However, Kuwabara was merely transported a few miles away and Keiko, Yukina, Botan, and his sister, Shizuru, found him. Poor Kuwabara, I heard Shizuru did quite a number on him.

"URAMESHI," we both turned as Kuwabara's voice boomed throughout the house, "ABOUT TIME!"

"Well, how about that," mused Genkai.

Excited to see what this famous Yusuke looked like, I headed back to the living area. Peaking around a wall at the entrance, I eyed the door. However, peeking was futile as Kuwabara's huge shoulders blocked the entire width of one of the temple doors.

"Damn, do we get to come in," asked a grumpy voice, "or are you just gonna keep talking?"

"Yusuke," that was Keiko! I smiled happily.

"Fine," exclaimed Kuwabara, "don't see the guy for a month and he's suddenly high and mighty," continued Kuwabara while he stepped away.

"I heard that."

I thought about slinking away, feeling as if I might be intruding on this gathering of friends, but my curiosity killed the cat. First thing I noticed was that he did seem sort of cocky, because he entered with a smug grin. His black hair was swept back with gel and I wondered how shaggy his hair was when it wasn't gelled back. Quickly, his eyes flickered around the room, taking in his surroundings. I smiled uncomfortably, trying to appear friendly, as his handsome, brown eyes landed on me. At his side, was Keiko, and the shyness melted away once she appeared.

Kuwabara slunk past me and headed toward Yukina, but not before, I could whisper subtly, "Kuwabara, what happen to your chin?"

"Ah, he had it coming," yelled Yusuke. I paled, wondering how he could have heard me, because I had all but whispered the observation. _Wow, he has good hearing._

"You dodged my punch so how can it be called a greeting," Kuwabara's beady eyes set into a glare and Yukina giggled, not at him, but in a 'you silly boy' kind of way.

"Well, you could've dodged, instead of standing there with your mouth wide open." Feigning curiosity, Yusuke eyed his own fist, "I'm surprised you didn't eat my fist!"

"Whatever," Kuwabara mumbled, but as he turned away, I saw him grinning.

"Anyway," Yusuke turned to me, "your Hiei's-" Keiko jammed her elbow into Yusuke's side causing him to grunt. "Geeze Keiko, have you been working out while I've been away?"

Rolling her eyes, Keiko headed toward me. Giving me a hug, Keiko gazed over her shoulder subtly, as if to say 'yeah, that's the Great Yusuke', before heading after Yukina.

I smiled uncomfortably again, realizing that Yusuke and I were alone by the door. I was about to turn and run off after the women, but that would be rude, just to leave him without excusing myself. Before I could utter an excuse, Yusuke sidled over, hands resting casually in his pockets, and began the dreaded small talk.

"So, how ya liking it here so far," I was horrible at small talk, but Yusuke, he seemed to be rather comfortable with it. Generally, I could tell if someone was just trying to be nice, ask a few mindless questions here and there, yet, Yusuke seemed to want to know. "Tired of Kuwabara yet," he leaned down to murmur mischievously, "I bet he's here every day, huh?"

"Hey," yelled the tall man from across the room.

I stifled a giggle, as Kuwabara huffed dramatically from beside Yukina. Glancing back up at Yusuke, I replied, "just every now and then."

Throwing his head back, Yusuke let out a loud laugh. Giggling, I led the way toward the others. Yusuke continued laughing and would've continued if Genkai hadn't stepped into the room.

"Hey, Grandma," barked Yusuke and everybody winced from his booming voice.

"I'm right here, Dimwit, so pipe it down," answered Genkai, her face twisting into a grouchy scowl.

Chuckling, Yusuke strode toward her with a weird glint in his eyes. Genkai looked completely at ease with her hands clasped behind her, save for one raised eyebrow. Yusuke approached closer and raised his arms, clearly intent on giving her a hug. For some reason, this was odd, because Kuwabara seemed to blanch, his freckles standing out over his nose. Just before his arms closed around the small woman, Genkai stepped back, and down he fell with a loud grunt. All was quiet, quiet enough that one could hear a cookie crumb hit the deck, and then he moved. Slowly, Yusuke lifted his face from the floor and turned to glare at Genkai over his shoulder. I stepped back carefully, thinking his head was going to start twisting like in the movie, the Exorcism.

"WHY'D YOU MOVE," Yusuke jumped to his feet and glared down at the old woman, "I WAS TRYING TO SHOW SOME LOVE!"

Scoffing, Genkai turned away, "show it to Keiko then."

Yusuke's face turned a bright red, one of annoyance, and caused Kuwabara to collapse against a wall with a loud guffaw. Closing her eyes, Keiko blushed prettily. Yukina and I shared amused looks before breaking out into laughter.

"Oh, hey, Hiei," Yusuke casually greeted, as Hiei appeared beside me. I touched the collar of my shirt, _was it getting warm in here?_

Tilting his head toward the door, Hiei coolly replied, "Koenma."

"Ah, a gathering," Yusuke went over to the door, "in my honor, why I'm touched."

Indeed, it was a gathering, because Koenma didn't arrive alone. Botan came bounding out from behind Koenma and handed Yukina some sort of dish. A few seconds later, Shuuichi – er, Kurama arrived with a tall, slender woman.

"Hey baby brother, what happened to your face?" asked the woman while approaching Kuwabara.

Kuwabara blushed and tucked in his chin. My eyes widened, as I stared at the woman. It was Shizuru, Kuwabara's older sister. According to Botan, Shizuru was also Kuwabara's greatest fear. Of course, I already knew that from Genkai's stories.

"Shizuru," Kuwabara scowled at the floor, "I'm twenty-three years old, almost twenty-four," he glared at his sister, "I'm not a baby!"

Pinching his cheeks, Shizuru smiled sweetly, "you'll always be my baby brother."

"SHIZURU-"

Rather quickly, the smile faded and her eyes darkened, "don't use that tone on me, mister."

I chuckled quietly while watching their playful sibling banter. I continued observing the two, laughing at how Shizuru stretched Kuwabara's cheeks. A hand landed on my shoulder and the gesture was familiar. I glanced over to meet memorable, emerald eyes.

Politely, I held out my hand, "Hi, Shuuichi," briefly, I remembered his other name, "or do you prefer, Kurama?"

A slight smile graced his lips, "Well, now that you're in this circle, Kurama will do. I suppose you don't know why I have two names?"

"Keiko tried, but three words in and I flat lined."

Kurama chuckled amusedly. Taking my outstretched hand, he kissed the back of my hand softly. "Nice to meet you again, Karen."

I spent a good half hour talking to Kurama, well he talked and I listened. Finally, he explained about his demon self and why he had two names (later on, I found out he had three names). I practically had to make an outline in my head just to understand his story. He was about to go into Yusuke's nature, but the moment he said 'dormant gene', I kindly asked if we could discuss the issue on another day. I didn't want my head to overload.

Dinner was a large event, one I thought would be awkward, but everyone seemed comfortable around me. I thought I might feel like a stranger, imposing on the gathering of friends, but it was as if they accepted me easily.

Surprisingly, Keiko and Yusuke sat next to me. Throughout dinner, the couple kept up a constant string of conversation, telling stories and gushing about certain things they'd like to do, such as attending the cherry blossom festival. Then, the talk turned to questions, which was odd, as they were simple questions: what's your favorite color, what's your favorite food, how were your grades (from Keiko), do you like sumo (from Yusuke), and so on.

When dinner ended, I helped clean up with Yukina, Keiko, and unexpectedly, Kuwabara. Cleaning was enjoyable, made so by Kuwabara's wacky humor. Now if helping your girlfriend clean isn't true love than I don't know what is. No other man could ever compete with Yukina's affections, not with Kuwabara in the running. I only hoped I found someone like that – the perfect guy!

The night grew late and everyone holed in the living room. I was content, filled to the brim with food, enough that it allowed drowsiness to cloud over me. Around nine, people started leaving and I bid them goodnight. Soon, only Botan, Kuwabara, Koenma, Yusuke, and Keiko were mingling in the room.

"Ah, it's getting rather late but before we leave, Karen?" I jerked awake, having dozed off in the armchair. Gazing about, I met Koenma's gentle gaze, "bored you out of the conversation, hm?"

Smiling sheepishly, I hurriedly rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. "No, no, it was just," I yawned, "all that food."

Koenma approached me with a chuckle and seated himself in front of me. "I understand. Yukina is quite the cook." He smiled, then, "Like I was saying earlier, there are a few things we need to discuss."

My eyes widened, as panic set in from his words. I couldn't help but wonder if I did something wrong and they were going to say, 'sorry, made a mistake, but you're not connected to Hiei after all, so you have to leave now'. If that was the case, then where would I go?

"It's about your schooling," began Koenma. The panic died out like a flame. "You were in your senior year – last term, correct?" I nodded, but he frowned. "You started early."

He meant my age. I only started school a year early because it was easier for the orphanage with fewer kids around for the day, so that the younger kids could be tended to more easily. Luckily, the public school accepted me well enough – but it probably had to do with my birthday, too. It was at the end of the year. Not that attended early did any good. I was barely average.

"Yes, well," continued Koenma, "unfortunately you'll be repeating that year. I just managed to finish the paperwork – I could tweak it and perhaps, fit you in for the last term –"

"No, that's okay," I interrupted. A normal kid probably would be ecstatic at finishing earlier, but Koenma went through all that trouble already. "I don't mind," quickly, I thought of Keiko's speech, "education is education."

Koenma chuckled and patted my shoulder, "so it is, but you won't have to worry yet about school. The current school is the last term and then they'll be on summer break – which worked for me, as I was able to fix everything just right. Now, there's a school, near Yusuke and Keiko's home, which will be perfect for you. I say, Keiko has already scouted it out and even has a brochure of their extracurricular activities."

Near the end of his sentence, Yusuke and Keiko flanked Koenma's sides, gave one another a secret smile, and stared down at me. I glanced at all three of them with a frown.

"Um," I began, "the school won't be near here?"

"No, this temple is a bit too far away from any schools and it will be easier if you lived near a decent school." Glancing at me, Koenma grinned, "education is education."

"What he's trying to say," Botan bounced over to us with a smile, "is that you'll be living with Yusuke and Keiko." Putting a hand on each of the couple's shoulders, she made her cat face, "say hello to mommy and daddy!"

"Hello," I muttered dumbly, "wait, y-you guys are adopting me?" I frowned, "but – I mean, I don't want to be rude – I mean, it's great and all, really, because this has never happen to me," _oh man, I'm babblin_g, " but, you guys seem kind of," they all pinned me with curious gazes, "young."

"Oh that," Koenma waved a hand, "yes, they are young to be adoptive parents, but let's just say by some miracle," he winked, "they managed to be accepted as adoptive parents. No one's going to be peering too closely at your documents. I've hidden them quite well in those government files." Then, he lowered his voice, "I've also changed your last name to Urameshi, are you okay with that? It blends it in more with how far I've hidden them."

Surprised, I gushed out, "wow, you did all that?" I didn't bother answering his last question. My last name had never belonged to me. It was given to me by whoever delivered me. Not wanting to dwell on the past, I said excitedly, "that's amazing!" I took a deep breath, "but, are you sure this will work?"

"Of course, I'm Prince Koenma." He stated as if that answered everything.

Smiling, I bowed my head, "thank you, Prince Koenma." Koenma lifted his chin, looking proud and mighty, until Botan smacked the back of head.

"It'll be great Karen," exclaimed Keiko while giving me a hug. She was oblivious to Koenma stumbling from Botan's hit. "The house is lovely and the school is great!"

"And we're not that _young,_" supplied Yusuke, "we're what," he counted his fingers," like six, seven years older than you, not to mention all the experience," he wiggled his eyebrows, "we have."

It was ironic, something I thought would never happen, to be adopted – even if it was only for school purposes. I spent the majority of my childhood at the orphanage, spent a few times at potential foster parents' homes, but I had never been adopted. I was kind of taken back, unsure of how to react, as emotions overwhelmed me. I was happy, nervous, scared, confused – I smiled. Yes, I was happy. Fake or not, I guess it wasn't too late to be adopted.

"Everything is going to be fine," assured Koenma, "like I said, the paperwork is all done and official looking, so that's that." Standing, Koenma wrapped his scarf around his neck, "you can remain here for the summer, I'm sure Genkai won't mind?"

"Karen may stay here whenever she wants," Genkai answered from across the room. "I assume she will be coming over quite often once she gets tired of Yusuke."

"No," huffed Yusuke, "I think we'll get along just fine."

"And what about _our _situation," demanded Hiei, whom finally came out of hiding and decided to make himself known.

The way he said 'our' made me shiver. The word was intimate, something only between us two. Giving myself a mental shake, I turned to Koenma, awaiting his answer. _What about our situation, _I asked in agreement.

"Has your connection lengthened," asked Koenma.

"Hn," Hiei folded his arms, "about two kilos longer."

I wrinkled my nose, trying to convert kilos (their unit of measurement) into miles, so that I may know the exact distance. However, my brain farted and I stopped. I wasn't one for math.

Koenma nodded, "good. I've analyzed and researched this, but could only come up with a few accounts of this ever happening. "Yusuke crossed his arms and listened intently. "As I've explained to Karen and Hiei, Karen's feelings were out of control that night and Hiei, well, his demon energy is naturally powerful, and they were drawn to each other." Koenma frowned, "actually, it could've been Kurama and Karen had she focused her attention on him, but you know."

_I wish it had been Kurama_. _At least, he doesn't glare at me all the time. We'd be great friends!_

Yusuke scratched his head, "so it connected and they can't remain apart?"

"Yes and no," Koenma cleared his throat, "the accounts that I read, managed to strengthen their bonds to the point that they were able to be thousands of miles away. However, they did come back together once and again, almost as if to recharge the bond."

"Were they human?" asked Hiei and I glanced at him as he stressed the word 'human'.

"No, demons," answered Koenma, "by the way, how have you been strengthening your bond?"

Hiei glanced my way, giving me pointed stare, as if to say 'well, go on then'. Clearing my throat, I tried to formulate my answer.

"Um, I- I just," there really was no important way to say it, "I just take walks."

"Walks," repeated Koenma, "but there is a limit to how far you can go, hm?"

"Yes," I glanced at Hiei, "like a tug… and then I just go back. It kind of starts feeling like a stomach ache when I go too far, if that helps."

Could my answers get any lamer? Was lamer even a word?

"Yes, I see," Koenma turned to Hiei, "Hiei you haven't tried, have you?" Hiei grunted and narrowed his eyes, "because you can't."

_What, _I stared at the dark demon.

"When you tried, you were weakened and so was Karen. However, when Karen does so, you feel nothing."

"I feel the barrier of it."

"So you know how far she goes," murmured the prince. "It's amazing, how much progress you have made. The demon accounts I read," his tone deepened, "it took them decades to lengthen it. On one account, the demons grew impatient and tore away from each other, dying shortly afterwards."

I paled, _oh god!_

"Do you two feel anything else? Anything I should take note of?"

I opened my mouth, ready to explain about the static. However, something compelled me to keep it to myself. I glanced over at Hiei, pondering if he would tell Koenma about the static, for I was sure he had heard it, but Hiei was looking away, seeming to grow bored with the conversation.

"No," answered Hiei, apparently tired of waiting for me to answer.

"Very well," Koenma narrowed his eyes and I ducked away. "Well, when the time comes, we'll see how far you two have gotten." And with that, Koenma reached for Botan, "I'll take my leave now. I had a lovely time. Goodnight."

Botan waved and allowed Koenma to steer her toward the door. I stared after them, taking note of Koenma's fingers splayed over the small of Botan's back. I smiled impishly. Were they together too?

There was no time to continue pondering their relationship, which was probably a secret since everyone gossiped about who were together and had never mentioned those two, because Yusuke and Keiko were preparing to leave too. Wrapping her arms around me, Keiko promised we would go out for lunch and look over the school brochure. I nodded happily, knowing lunch would be fun (but not the brochure). Awkwardly, Yusuke patted my shoulder, his way of saying goodnight.

When they were gone, I went back inside to tell Yukina and Kuwabara goodnight, but they were locked in a staring contest, their own world, so tiptoeing, I left them alone.

Slipping on my pajamas, I headed over to my bag. I wanted to take my sketch out and find somewhere to hang it up. A few minutes later, I was still shuffling through the items.

_Man, don't tell me it fell out, _I turned my bag over. _I finally do something creative and now it's gone._

I bowed my head in shame. Drawing wasn't something I did very often, as plain paper was hard to come by in the orphanage. The main reason was because all the younger kids attacked every sheet with an army of crayons. That drawing had been my first in a long time and I had wanted to display the artwork, hang it upon the barren walls.

"What a waste," I mumbled.

There was a sharp rap on the door and I winced, because the knock sounded like someone had smashed his or her knuckles too hard on the door. I glanced down, taking in my long shirt covered with kisses. I thought about changing (I wasn't wearing any shorts, but the shirt was a small dress), but it was probably just Yukina, I mean, when had Hiei ever knocked?

Yawning, I went over to the door and slid it open.

"Hiei," I breathed, a hand coming to rest at my heart, "what do you want," _geeze, that sounds rude, _"I mean, what is it?" I finished lamely.

Without a word, he held out a paper. Frowning, I reached for it, and doing so, my fingers brushed along his fingers. I waited for the electricity to zap up my arm, but in its stead, was a hum of heat, so soft, like sunlight. I marveled at this heat, feeling for the first time that I was warm, that I had gone through life always cold, and until now, finally experienced true warmth.

"You," I raised my eyes, meeting his, and became entranced as he spoke, "dropped this stupid thing."

His tilted his head, bringing his face within inches of my own. I was caught up in his eyes, in awe with the color, the dark, crimson irises. I stared so hard that my blue eyes reflected from within his and it was such an odd image. Then, the moment was gone, and he blurred away. I stood there, slightly dazed, as I stared at the empty hall. The heat, which had wrapped around me so deliciously, was now gone.

I remembered the way he had said 'you', how he hadn't looked away while he murmured that one, little word. His eyes had darkened…

Shivering, I glanced down and turned the piece of paper over with mild curiosity. It was my drawing! I smiled, admiring the perfect straightness of the paper, that it had remained unwrinkled while in his care.

"Thanks, Hiei," I whispered.


	6. The Dance of Death

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Six- The Dance of Death

* * *

A meadow, with grass up to the waist, flapped against the wind in oceanic waves. The grass, browning at the tips from intense sunlight, flowed around, dancing to and fro, scratching at my bare legs. I waded in the field, pushing toward my destination. The sun, a transcendent lover, kissed my shoulders. A stray twig, tossed in with the browning grass, poked at my calf. It was all a part of nature.

Sighing, I fluffed out my dress, thinking, _I knew I should have worn pants._

Spying an animal trail, I hurriedly stepped onto the parted grass. I began jogging, eager to see what loomed ahead. The grass was shrinking and trees were stretching higher, the tops seeming to touch the clouds. Leaves rustled and branches creaked, as the trees chatted amongst themselves. Breaking through the last of the overgrown grass, I stared up in awe.

A huge tree with branches stretching towards the sky, waved slightly in the wind. It stood alone, instead of in clusters like most trees. Every bit of the tree was covered in dark leaves, casting shade to the surrounding area. The base of the trunk was as wide as a small house. A slight breeze stirred the magnificent tree's leaves and branches until it groaned – A king in its own right.

Clasping my wrist behind me, I admired the tree. The wind blew softly, teasing my hair as it tossed it around with playful fingers. I was hypnotized, lost in the sway of the branches. Time seemed oblivious; something that happens only when one has found true beauty, pure and innocent. I would have continued admiring my treasure, but there was a heat, familiar like my own skin.

"Hiei," I murmured.

Glancing over a shoulder, I saw Hiei standing amongst the field. He was ominous looking, hands stuffed in his pockets, and blade secured at his waist, but I knew he wouldn't hurt me (because he couldn't). He was staring, probably wondering why I was staring at a tree like an idiot. After almost two month, one would think I'd grow tired of the glares, but it was just how he acted. The glares were unnerving and cold, but they were tolerable too. Once or twice, I thought I saw something flash within those crimson depths, but then he'd harden his eyes, and the windows went black.

Following Koenma's request, I set about exploring the forest every day, pushing further into woods and staying away for hours. Other times, I'd feel a little sore from the long treks and instead, would watch Hiei train. He was never angry if I decided not to lengthen the bond, which was odd, considering he all but treated me like crap the moment we had accepted this horrid bond. In fact, now he seemed rather calm about the entire situation.

Of course, I probably had something to do with the situation. Everything he threw at me, I smiled. If he seemed annoyed, I smiled. If he growled out in anger at me, I smiled, or tried to, but I'm sure it came out as a grimace now and then. If he glared, well, I just smiled. Eventually, he might stop glaring… one day.

A strong gust of wind tore around the meadow and whipped up my hair with its fury. I smiled nervously, reaching up and patting the locks in place. I probably looked like a mess, what with my hair flying about to form a nest for birds. Hiei's eyes flickered upward, confirming my suspicions about my hair, and I gave the strands another nervous pat.

When the wind died down, his eyes slid back to mine. His eyes weren't set in their usual glare and it was unsettling, yet comforting, a side too private to witness, but one that entranced me all the same. He was just staring and I wanted this moment to go on, with him just looking so relaxed. All too soon, those beautiful orbs hardened, promising malice. I sighed sadly, closing my eyes briefly to store away the moment.

Taking a deep breath, I headed toward him. I was unsure of why he was here, as he usually waited until I came back.

"You know," I began, "it doesn't work if you come fetch me."

Giving his familiar grunt, he turned and began walking, the width of his body parting the grass with ease. It was much easier to navigate back to the temple and a lot safer, as I didn't have to stumble and knick my knees with scars.

"Why did you come find me?" I asked, hardly aware of speaking. Once the words were out, I mentally shrugged. He usually never answered –

"Yukina was worried."

I did a double take, then cringed immediately, and tried to compose myself. I felt like smiling at the small breakthrough, but knew once that happened he would clam back up, and slap me with his death glare. Instead, I bit the inside of my cheek and continued trekking up the hill.

_He must be in a good mood today if he's talking somewhat to me. _I glanced up at the sky, noticing how high the sun was above us. _No wonder Yukina is worried, it's probably past lunch._

Yukina was worried and it was _way _past lunch. I felt guilty, knowing that it was my fault for being out so late. I apologized profusely, realizing that Yukina had waited for us, having covered every food dish with care. Yukina merely smiled, waving it off, and set about to serve us a late lunch. To make things up, I ushered her into the dining area and served the food in her place.

Yukina chatted excitedly, asking us questions, which Hiei ignored, and I answered cheerfully. She seemed a bit lonely this morning, probably because Kuwabara hadn't visited yesterday, and she was still reeling without his presence. I thought about inviting her to watch some TV, maybe read a book to her, do something with her to keep her company, but before I could utter an activity, she said she had some sewing to finish. Sighing, I hung up the dishtowel and watched her shuffle off to her room. Shortly afterward, Hiei disappeared to his room too.

With nothing else to do and no one to do them with, I headed to the living room for some TV time. Plopping down onto the couch, I flipped through the channels in boredom. It was just my luck too, that there would be nothing on, no good movie, soap operas, or sumo wrestling, just news, news, and news.

"Might as well check out the weather," I grumbled. Settling into the couch, I was about to hear the seven day forecast when the phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered lazily.

A strange static sounded in my ears and I pulled the phone away a bit, staring at it. Seeing nothing wrong with the phone, I put it back to my ear. The moment the phone touched my ear, a loud whoosh sounded. Taking the phone away, I shook it, once, twice, and then listened to receiver again.

"Karen," yelled a raspy, masculine voice.

"Kuwabara," I greeted happily, "it sounds like your breaking up."

"Yeah, I'm getting b-b-bad reception," his voice cut in and out, "may I speak to Kina?"

"Yeah, just hold on a bit."

Walking down the hall quickly, I knocked on Yukina's door. It opened after a few seconds and I held the phone out to her.

"Kuwabara," I answered her hopeful gaze.

She smiled, her eyes lighting up before lifting the phone to her ear. Fulfilling my mission, I went back to the living room. I picked up the remote and flicked through a couple of channels, but it was still the news. I honestly tried to watch the news, learn something about the world, but the late lunch was a killer lullaby.

I wasn't sure how long I was out, but when I did awaken, it was to the sound of rapid voices. Sitting up, I rubbed away the sleep and searched for the person speaking, but it was just the TV. That's when I noticed the newswoman. She kept flickering and with each flicker, she was speaking urgently. In the background, I saw a building collapsed.

_An earthquake – _I hurried to the window and threw back the curtain. Outside, everything appeared to be in good shape. There was no damage whatsoever –

The floor trembled. I stared, slightly stunned at the shaking floorboards. The roaring intensified, taking out the precious frames and knocking them to the ground. Hearing a picture frame shatter, I leaped forward to save a few of the falling keepsakes. A lamp crashed, the porcelain skittering across the floor, and I edged out of the way to avoid the sharp pieces. Scooting back, I tripped over a fallen plant and hit the wall. I winced while sliding down the wall, still clutching a picture frame.

I would have continued sitting, just try to stay out of the way and wait out the tremors, but then the bookshelf started swaying toward me. Yelping, I hurried beneath the desk in the corner. I was just in time, managing to avoid being squished, as the shelf crashed against one of the open ends of the desk. I huffed in relief –

"No," I yelled in anguish at another falling shelf.

Hurriedly, I pulled in my legs. The shelf followed its twin and ended up trapping me beneath the desk. Tossing the frame aside, I pushed against a shelf, but it wouldn't budge – it was solid oak!

"Yukina, Hiei," I called out, "I'm trapped under the desk!"

A spicy, heavy scent drifted around the thick shelves and I stiffened. _Oh god, _I banged on the shelf with my fists. _Something's on fire! _Through a crack in the shelf, I could see the flicker of a flame and I recoiled in fear. Panicking, I pushed at the shelves, trying to find a weak point, but they were sturdy as ever.

Smoke filtered in through the cracks and I yanked my shirt over my nose. Even so, the smoke seeped through the fabric and swelled inside my chest. Coughing, I tipped over sideways. I struggled to keep my eyes open, but it was hard with all the smoke.

"Karen," I opened my eyes, recognizing Keiko's voice, "Karen, where are you?"

"K-Keiko…" My lungs worked hard to pump what little oxygen there was into the inflamed organs. I called out her name again, but it was a strangled whisper, "Keiko."

"KEIKO," that was Yusuke, "you idiot, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Karen!"

"We have to get out! Dammit, Keiko, everything's going up in flames!"

"No," sobbed Keiko, "no, Yusuke, she's still in here! Yusuke, no," there was a loud curse and Keiko cried out even more, "she's in there, please, Yusuke!"

The voices seemed so far away, echoing against the shelves, the walls, the hands of time, blurring against one another. I felt drugged, vision slowly darkening, and head weighed down by the smoke.

"KAREN!"

_Yusuke, _I closed my eyes, struggling to remain awake, _get her out of here._

* * *

"_Just so you know," Yusuke shook his finger in a joking manner, "no dating until you graduate. No daughter of mine is gonna be distracted by boys."_

* * *

The flames were dancing now with pounding feet and the sound, a thousand drums, thundered in my ears.

* * *

"_Back in the day, I was an excellent volleyball player," Keiko laughed to herself. "You should try it – oh, and the math club! I'm really good at math and can help you with all those delightful numbers," she turned then and her eyes lit up with amusement, "Karen, you have a tea drop on your chin!"_

* * *

I can't die before knowing what it feels like to have a family.

* * *

"_That's good," congratulated Yukina, her smile lighting up the room, "just keep them steady, yes, just like that." I stared happily at my sewing job while she gazed at it with appraising eyes. "See, nothing to it! Let's try another pattern."_

* * *

Objects were raining down on the desktop and I huddled on the floor. I thought of Yukina, my first friend, while ignoring the flame's laughter.

* * *

"_I'm Kazuma Kuwabara, the Fighter of Love."_

* * *

I wanted to see them get married. They were so lovely together.

* * *

"_Why don't I become a magician," he repeated my question. "I would not mind and yes, indeed it might be fun, but it seems uncharacteristic of me and," smiling, Kurama lifted a hand to his ear. There was a moment of silence before he brought his hand back down and revealed a red rose. "I would not want to reveal all my secrets." _

* * *

I struggled to keep my eyes open, but the smoke was circling overhead, like preying vultures.

* * *

_Koenma smiled and it was just what I needed. "…you will have to trust me, okay?"_

* * *

"I trust you, I trust you," I whispered the words, hoping they'd release me from this nightmare.

* * *

_Behind him, Botan mimicked his stance as if pretending to think. She scrunched up her nose and the whiskers streaked out._

* * *

"H-help," I scraped against the wood with my plea.

* * *

"_Baby bro, you have food, just there, on your chin," Shizuru pointed at her brother's face, "don't be silly, I'll get it off faster." She scrubbed brutally at his chin with her knuckles._

* * *

I know you care a lot about him, even with your silly jokes.

* * *

"_Where did we leave off," asked Genkai while she sipped her tea, "the semi-finals? Must be, because I wasn't there for the finals," she lifted a brow, "why, well let's see –"_

* * *

My vision wavered, but I fought the curtains of black with a jerk of my head. A broken sob drifted past the flames and I frowned, unsure where those sobs were coming from. I tried to stretch my leg out, push against the shelf, but it was just too heavy. It was becoming harder to stay awake and there was too much smoke. Am I burning yet?

_Don't give up, _I groaned, _not yet, Karen, just one more time, one more._ I wanted to heed my mind, but I was nearly there, floating away in the darkness that promised blissful sleep. The floor was so cool, an icy lake against the heat. _Get up! _I was unaware of closing my eyes, but there was that voice, and I dragged them open. Gathering all my strength, I heaved a leg against the hard surface, any surface. I couldn't feel anything, but there was a thud, loud and clear, or maybe it seemed so only to me.

_Again, try again!_

_That's all I have left,_ I argued tiredly_. _Closing my eyes, I dragged in air. My throat felt raw, as if I had swallowed sandpaper. Sweat ran down my face, but I didn't have the energy to wipe away one drop.

This was a horrid way to die. Soon, my flesh was going to start bubbling and – no, I can't die like this. The flames, are they licking yet – yes, yes they are and it hurts, god, it hurts!

…_that I had gone through life always cold, and until now, finally experienced true warmth – _

The fire was intense, had to be, as it shattered apart the desk and shelves. Convinced I was dead, I opened my eyes to embrace the 'light', the gate for heaven or hell, but in its place, were two glittering, red eyes.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.


	7. Revival is a Pain

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Seven- Revival is a Pain

* * *

The trees swayed in slow motion, but no, that's not right, why are they upside down? The sky is fine, yes, and there are the clouds, puffing across, as they should be. The fire is gone, but the heat is still there. _His _heat is still there.

"Thank goodness you found her!" cried a voice.

_Keiko, _I struggled to see her, but it was futile. Am I even awake? Yes, my eyes are open – no, my eyes are closed, but I can hear her.

"I called for help." A cool hand, one of ice, touched my forehead, and oh, it felt so nice. "They're sending an ambulance."

"Thank you, Yukina. Over here, Hiei," there was a series of movements, "it's cooler over here."

My head felt heavy and maybe it was the smoke; those gray tendrils must have filled my head to the brim. Images and words faded in and out, as darkness kept intervening to snatch them selfishly, and then return them with a teasing pleasure. I must have swallowed some fire, because my chest burned with each breath, if I was even breathing, that is.

"Where's Yusuke?"

"Easy Keiko,I'm right here. I saw Hiei carrying her – Damn, she's not looking too good."

"She's fading in and out of consciousness," someone was running their fingers across my forehead, "Are you two all right?"

"Hn."

"Hell, a little burnt around the edges and I think I charred my eyebrows, but still good looking, right Keiko?" Yusuke laughed and I heard a kiss being exchanged. "She's a smart girl. If she hadn't crawled under that desk, she'd be burnt to a crisp."

"Yusuke, don't say things like that!"

"Calm down, Keiko. I'm just saying – here comes the ambulance."

There was a siren whirring in the air. I'm not sure what happened, it was as if I wanted to shout out that I could hear the ambulance, but instead of words, only loud coughs emitted. Each cough hurt. I think I was coughing up softball-sized sandpaper.

"Oh, Karen, shh, here they come, okay, it'll be alright."

"Hang in there, kid," mumbled Yusuke. I heard more voices and the sound of stuff being unloaded. Quickly, as if he was trying to avoid being heard by those other voices, Yusuke whispered, "Hiei, I'm going to check around and then contact the others."

"Fine," replied Hiei gruffly, then, as an afterthought, "take Yukina."

"No," refused Yukina adamantly and I could almost see her flashing those stubborn eyes, "I want to go with you guys! Karen –"

"The girl will be fine," cut off Hiei, "the tremors might have reached the city –"

Yukina let out a small cry, seeming to understand, "oh no, Kazuma! Please let me know about Karen."

Voices blurred in the background, distorted and faint. The itchy grass was replaced with a semi-soft surface. A hard material shoved onto my face and I panicked when it became hard to breathe. My chest racked with coughs and I reached up to claw at whatever was blocking my airway.

"Karen, shh… shh, it's okay, just relax."

There was a hiss and I stiffened. I waited patiently, but I needed to breathe too! Keiko, sorry, but I have to breathe – soft mist brushed against my face and inhaling, I felt like crying in relief once the cool, delicious air soothed the fire roaring in my lungs.

"We only have room for one of you," announced a stranger.

"Hiei I –"

"Go."

"But how will you –"

"Yusuke arrived with his bike. He took your car."

There was movement, clothes shifting, grunts, and then the sound of doors slamming shut. I opened my eyes and there was Keiko, leaning over me. I tried to tell her that Genkai was going to be mad, because her pictures fell, but she just brushed aside my bangs. No, I wanted to argue, she will be mad and I tried to save them, or one of them, but I dropped it, and – My eyes drifted close and she was humming softly, too softly. It was such a lovely tune…

I had fallen asleep. I must have, because when I awoke, there were flashes of white and the thud of footfalls. Cold metal touched my chest, moving in random places. Wheels squeaked. Hinges creaked. Clothes are rustling and everything is white. Why is everything so white? There needs to be color, something bright or dark, and really, anything with a hue – no, Keiko, wait!

The warm pressure around my hand slipped away, taking with it the peaceful lullaby.

* * *

Keiko flipped through a magazine, not caring about the material, and only doing so to keep her hands busy. Every handful of seconds, she'd glance over to the huge, double doors where the doctors had disappeared with Karen. It was so quiet here, in the waiting room, and seemed to frazzle her nerves even more than when she had first arrived. Her companion, silent as always, was seated on the opposite side of the room. He hadn't said one word since, just followed her here, took the farthest seat, and left her alone to worry repeatedly.

Tossing the magazine upon the table, she stood up to stretch her legs. When the tightness in her calves loosened, she took out her phone and thumbed through the contents, but like before, there was no new messages or calls. Sighing, she grabbed her purse and rummaged around for some change. She needed something, a candy bar, chips, cookies, or caffeine – yes, caffeine was exactly what she needed. Finding the exact amount, she headed over to the vending machine.

Viewing the contents, she saw a flash of in the corner of her eye. Down the hall, a tall, young man was conversing with a short, plump woman. If he had been any other man, she wouldn't have noticed him, but it was hard to ignore a man with hair as colorful as his fiery mane.

"Kurama," she waved a hand in his direction.

Kurama paused and glanced her way. His emerald eyes flickered in recognition, taking in her appearance. Keiko looked worry with her eyes slightly wide and watery around the edges, just waiting to shed tears at the hint of bad news. Approaching his friend, he gave her quick hug when she charged toward him with open arms.

Releasing Keiko, he asked "any news," and tilted his head toward the double doors.

"No," she mumbled despondently, her shoulders sagging, "and it's already been two hours."

"They must be short on staff," he supplied, "the outer city limits were hit pretty hard and a bit of the inner city limits was struck, not too bad, compared to the those outside the city, but naturally, people panicked. Traffic is more chaotic than usual, which explains my delay."

"Was there any other place hit?"

Kurama waited patiently until Keiko selected her drink. Once the can rolled out into the holder and she popped the tab, he continued.

"I haven't heard of any other area that had sustained major damage, but I spoke to Yusuke earlier and he had just come into contact with Koenma. He should be on his way now."

Keiko took a thoughtful sip, "did Yukina go with him?"

"She's with Kuwabara." From the corner of his eye, Kurama saw Hiei's head tilt slightly, an indication that he was listening. "It seems Shizuru was out when the earthquake struck." Keiko gasped and he hurried on, "if she was in the city, then I'm sure she's fine, but Kuwabara and Yukina are going to check up on her, just in case."

Hiei closed his eyes in annoyance at the news that his sister was helping Kuwabara, but he brushed it aside. She's was always with him. This wasn't any different.

"Oh, Shizuru…" Keiko sank into her seat sadly.

Settling in a seat near Keiko, Kurama eyed his demon friend, "Yusuke's discussing the matter with Koenma, but obviously we will not be able to discuss it here, since you can't be away at the moment."

The two men shared a look, one that Keiko was unable to read, and she didn't try too hard either. The men around her always did this.

"Has Genkai been contacted," asked Kurama a moment later.

"No, I've tried already." Exhaling loudly, Keiko took another swig from her soda before saying, "I don't think she'll take the news too well about her temple… half of it was ruined."

"Well, of course, Grandma will be upset." Yusuke moseyed on into the waiting room, looking as if he owned the place. "She'll probably blame me anyways, like she always does."

Hurrying over to Yusuke, Keiko appeared ready to launch herself into his arms, just as she had done with Kurama. He waited too, for the display of his girlfriend's affections. Yusuke opened his arms, a cocky grin sliding in place, as if he just knew he would receive a hug the moment he arrived. A curious expression flickered over Keiko's face and she seemed to hesitate with the hug. After a second, she settled for a quick slap to his left cheek.

"What was that for," yelled Yusuke, a hand rubbing at his pink cheek.

Keiko smirked and calmly walked back to her seat. "Does there have to a reason?"

_Some things never change, _mused Kurama.

"Man, that's the second time I've opened my arms to spread some love – first, Grandma, now Keiko," grumbled the former, spirit detective, "I'm just trying to show some feelings." He settled into the seat next to Keiko.

"What feelings, Urameshi?" asked a gruff voice.

Appearing gentlemanly, Kuwabara led his girlfriend in with his arm held out for her dainty hand. Eyeing Keiko, Yukina released Kuwabara and hurried over to her friend.

"I knew I smelled your ass," stated Yusuke. He wrinkled his nose for emphasis.

Taking his seat, Kuwabara grinned wryly, "smell good, you jerk?"

"Like shit –"

"Yusuke," Keiko warned, finally catching the two men's conversation.

Yusuke stared from Keiko to Kuwabara then leaned back in his seat, shrugging his shoulders. He stared up at the ceiling with a frown.

Kuwabara threw his head back and laughed before pestering him some more with, "no come back? What's the matter with ya anyways?"

"Tell you later," hissed Yusuke, "so shut your mouth," then, "where's Shizuru?"

Kuwabara lifted a shoulder, "probably still outside smoking. She had her phone turned off when we went looking for her, that's why she didn't receive my calls earlier."

"Mm, so where was she?" Yusuke rolled his shoulders to ward off the stiffness. "And what's the deal with using 'receive'?"

"I'm in college," replied Kuwabara, as if that settled everything, "I've been taught to use a more broaden vocabulary!" he finished smugly and the answer brought out several reactions from his former teammates.

Hiei grunted from his seat.

Kurama chuckled quietly into his hand.

Yusuke blinked his eyes slowly, appearing dazed. "Whatever, you're freaking me out – anyway, where was she earlier?"

Sighing in annoyance, probably from his friend's snarky reply, he looked away, "in a bar."

Hiei quickly whipped his head around, fixing his eyes on Kuwabara.

"You took Yukina into a bar!" shouted Yusuke in alarm.

Raising an eyebrow, Keiko glanced at Yukina, "he did?"

"Really," asked Kurama.

Kuwabara opened his mouth to answer, but thought better of it, and simply huddled in his seat next to his tiny girlfriend.

"No," answered Yukina, shaking her head. "Kuwabara wouldn't let me. He made me wait in the car."

Hiei closed his eyes, no longer interested.

Yusuke downed the rest of Keiko's soda, burped, and stared back up at the ceiling.

Kurama tapped his chin and stared at the doors.

Keiko flipped through the pile of magazines.

"Some faith you guys have in me," muttered Kuwabara after a full minute.

"Hey, mind if I join the party?"

A tall, slender woman waltzed into the room and seated herself across from Keiko. She crossed her leg over her knee and brushed a hand through her long shiny hair. She was the very epitome of cool.

"Hey Shizuru," greeted Yusuke jadedly, "you been bar hopping?"

"You know me," she glanced placidly at her watch, "never can stay in one place."

"Ah, maybe some answers will be provided now." Kurama said as he spotted a young man walking out of the double doors and toward the group of friends.

"Friends of Karen Urameshi, I presume," inquired a young looking doctor, "may I speak to the parents or guardians?"

Serious now or maybe he had been, but simply hid it with boredom, Yusuke stood to his feet. Placing a warm hand on middle of Keiko's back, a soothing gesture, he led her toward the doctor.

Taking in their appearances, the doctor frowned in disbelief. "You are her guardians?"

Raking an eye over the doctor's young features and large, owlish glasses, Yusuke smirked, "and you're her doctor? A little young, don't you think?"

Blushing in embarrassment, the young doctor pushed his glasses up, "well, we've performed some tests and obviously she's suffering from a bit of chemical asphyxiation-"

"Human terms, doc."

Keiko glared at Yusuke, silently telling him to mind his manners. "Please, continue."

"She's suffering from lack of oxygen and inhalation of the chemicals from the fire." It was still too eccentric for Yusuke's ears, but it would do, "she's developed a cough, but the mucus in her lungs is clear – a good sign. We did a blood count and her blood cells are looking excellent." The doctor paused to flip a page. "We also took some x-rays of her chest and her lungs are normal, but we'll take more x-rays tomorrow just to make sure… Mm, lung damage can change slowly, so we'll have to watch for signs."

He flipped through a couple of more pages and cleared his throat. Keiko frowned hoping that the news would remain good.

"She's being supplied oxygen and has been sedated. Her eyes were irritated from the smoke, but luckily, her cornea's haven't been damage." With that, he hugged the clipboard to his chest, "I'd like to keep her for a couple of days, however, to monitor her condition. If all goes well, she'll be released."

Keiko's shoulders sagged with relief and Yusuke smirked. The doctor continued on, oblivious to their relief.

"Once she's been approved for release, I'll prescribe an inhaler, eye drops, and some antibiotics to ward off any viruses. She will be more prone to viruses, so she needs to take them daily. Keep her on the inhaler for three months." He eyed the couple, allowing the order to sink into their brains. "Sometimes, after smoke inhalation, patients tend to develop a breathing problem. If she continues to have a problem, keep her on the inhaler." Glancing from one to the other, the doctor raised an eyebrow, "any questions?"

"May we see her?" asked Keiko.

"Yes, but she's most likely asleep. There moving her out of ICU and into a room."

Yusuke awkwardly placed a hand upon the young doctor's shoulder and mumbled thanks. Turning to Keiko, Yusuke wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug, which she received with a grateful sigh.

"What's the verdict?" asked Kurama once the couple headed back to them.

"She's fine," Keiko smiled tiredly, "and she'll be able to leave in a couple of days."

Keiko sat down and sagged into her seat, turning slightly away when a single tear glided down her cheek. Pulling a handkerchief out, something Kuwabara always had, in case Yukina ever needed one, he handed it to Keiko.

"Keiko," greeted a voice.

Bursting into the waiting room, Botan approached Keiko with a beaming smile. "Everything fine," she quickly wrapped her arms around the smaller brunette, "Koenma said as much – are you okay?"

"Yes, just nerves," Keiko sniffed over Botan's shoulder while they hugged.

Turning to the men, Botan stared at them tiredly, "Koenma's sent me," turning to Hiei, she said, "Hiei, you will need to make arrangements to stay as close as possible. It might help if you spend the entire time here, during visiting hours, and then check into a nearby hotel at night. If not, then we'll work something out." Smiling at Yusuke and Keiko, she said, "and Karen will be staying with you two when she's release. I've explained this to Genkai and she's coming back –"

"Where will Genkai be staying?" asked Keiko worriedly, "the entire front of the temple is damaged."

"No, she's just coming here to assess the damage, hire worker's, and then go back to her friend's house," reassured Botan.

Yukina frowned as she contemplated her situation, but was saved the worry when Shizuru placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You can stay with us, Yukina," offered Shizuru and a huge smile appeared on her brother's face.

There was a slight tick in Hiei's jaw, visible only by Kurama, and he hid a smile behind his hand.

"It'll be fine?" asked the small maiden, looking from one sibling to the other, "I don't want to intrude."

"Nonsense, my love," Kuwabara reached for her hands and grinned, "it would be an honor."

Hiei shifted in his seat and Kurama watched him carefully. He looked as if he wanted to charge at Kuwabara, but settled for clenching his hands into fists. _Seems as if you're accepting Kuwabara better now, _Kurama smiled, _after all these years, Hiei._

"Okay, I think that settles everything," announced Botan. Taking out a small notebook, the tall woman flipped through it and nodded, "yes, that's all the arrangements." Stuffing the book back, she bounced to her feet, "now, Koenma will brief you guys," she eyed the men, "later, so as to give everyone time to settle down. I'll be back to take you guys in a couple of hours. I want to stay longer, but I'm needed elsewhere." Botan gave a handful of hugs and disappeared, leaving behind a startled group. Her blue ponytail bounced behind her until it disappeared around a corner.

"I suppose anyone acting in Koenma's place always looks cool leaving," admired Shizuru.

"I'm going to see Karen," Keiko reached for Yusuke's hand, "they've probably settled her into a room by now."

Nodding, Yusuke and Keiko vanished behind the double doors.

"Kazuma, will you come with me to see Karen when they come back?" asked Yukina.

"Of course, Kina," turning to his sister, Kuwabara asked, "sis, are you staying?"

Patting her brother's loaf of hair, Shizuru smiled. "I'll visit tomorrow," she glanced at Kurama, "mind giving me a ride, red?"

Kurama fished out his keys, "it'll be a pleasure."

* * *

I groaned as a plump nurse entered my room. Every few hours, a nurse, sometimes different, would come skipping into the room to check on my vitals. The nurse, at least one I recognized, beamed and flashed a quick smile. Scrawling away on her clipboard, she proceeded to check the monitors.

Grimacing, I glanced over to the side and smiled at the arrangement of flowers upon the windowsill. My eyes followed the row of flowers until they met a pair of red eyes. Instantly, I crossed my arms and glanced away.

-Flashback-

I read from the book quietly, or tried to, but a cough tore from my lips. The coughs continued, one after the other, and after several good size hacks, they subsided. My neck tingled violently, but I ignored the sensation by sipping some water.

There were a few minute of comfortable silence, a flip of a page or two, until another string of coughs took over. The tingling intensified, scorching my neck, and I resisted the temptation to reach up and claw at the aggravation. Ducking behind my book, I refused to glare at the source of the insane heat pinching my skin. I concentrated harder, because really, this book is so interesting, and I hope there's a happy ending – Snapping my book shut, I quickly turned to my companion.

"What," I cried out with narrowed eyes, but he was turned away, as if he hadn't just been shooting daggers at me. I waited a solid minute of faithful glaring to give him a taste of the prickles and it seemed to work, because he pinched the bridge of his nose. Grinning, I turned back to my book.

Fifteen solid minutes, a whole fifteen _solid _minutes, of welcomed silence, and I was feeling relaxed. I turned a page and fell more in love with the story – oh, no. There it was again, that slight itch riding at the back of my throat. I took a sip of water, two sips, half the glass, but it's still there. Swallowing, I closed my eyes to calm the itch away, but – nope, there it goes. The heat began attacking and huffing, I turned back to him.

"Hiei," I demanded after a cough, "stop it."

"Stop what?" asked Hiei indifferently, but even as he asked, he narrowed his eyes even more.

"Stop glaring!"

"Stop coughing," he shot back with a grimace, "it's annoying."

"As if I can help it, oh-mighty-one –"

"Yes, now shut up."

Angrily, I clutched at my book. This was insane, had to be, because I wasn't normally so aggravated. I was tired of coughing. He was tired of my coughing. I was tired of this hospital. He was tired of the hospital. And what happens when you're both tired, well, you start acting immature. Huffing in air, I threw the book at his head. Arrogantly, he waited until the last minute before shifting his head slightly. The book smacked into the window.

"Go away!"

"No," he growled and any other time, I would have backed down, but this wasn't the time, "I am only here, because you couldn't stand a bit of smoke. My kind is not as pathetic as you."

"My kind shouldn't have to deal with stuck up-"

Standing, his eyes darkened, "your weakness disgusts me."

I wanted to stand too, but settled for sitting up straighter, "your eyes nauseate me!"

With another growl, he stomped over to the door. I winced as the door slammed shut with a deafening roar. Huffing, I sank back onto my pillows.

"Miss," the door opened again, "I heard yelling."

"He makes me so angry," I blurted out.

The nurse smiled before replying with, "All men do, I'm afraid. They just need a good slap to the face! Of course, slapping my husband doesn't work. He thinks it's kinky and it turns him –"

Horrified, I covered my eyes, "please!"

"Oops," she giggled.

-End of Flash back-

I frowned at the mere memory from a few days ago, but was interrupted, as the phone Keiko and Yusuke had bought me, rang.

"Hi," I greeted happily.

"Karen, Yusuke will be over in couple of hours," launched Keiko, "tell Hiei, Yusuke's bringing him his bike so he won't have to travel in the car."

_Guess he doesn't like cars._

"Okay," I bit off, ready to jump up and get dress, "I'll be ready!"

Keiko laughed in the receiver, "I'm sure you're sick of being there."

_Hah, _I thought, _she has no idea._ Hanging up the phone, I turned to Hiei to give him the news –

"I heard."

I promptly closed my mouth, having been in the process of relaying the news, and glanced over at him. Seated near the window, he appeared slightly disgruntled. I stared at him, something I wouldn't normally do if he was glaring at me, but this time, he was focused on the hospital grounds.

Sometimes, it was hard to believe he was a demon, especially when he was dressed as any human male. The tan and red, letterman jacket was different from his usual black on black attire. He still had a black shirt on, but the jacket added a more colorful touch, not to mention, the blue jeans gracing his legs really emphasized his height. This time, the heat that pooled in my stomach was not from his heat, but from my admiral of his appearance.

Clearing my throat, I swung my legs over the side of the bed. Before I set off to the restroom, I gathered the back of my gown. I didn't like the openness of the gown, as there was always a draft. Tightening my hold, I glanced over at Hiei to make sure he was still intent on watching the world. When he didn't acknowledge my movements, I headed to the restroom.

"As if," he drawled out, "seeing your body excites me, woman."

My face burned and I spun around, "you know what will excite me? Slapping your arrogant face –"

A small giggle echoed in the room and I turned, forgetting that the nurse was still making notes on her clipboard.

"Oh, kinky talk," exclaimed the nurse.

Thoroughly flustered, I ducked into the bathroom.


	8. Welcome Home

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Eight- Welcome Home

* * *

"It's beautiful..." I muttered.

Dark, green tints flickered past the window in a blur, merging with russet browns to form a chain of trees. Tiny flowers, in various colors, covered the ground, creating a pattern. Vapors streaked across the pale sky and spiraled out into thin slivers. The landscape was magnificent.

My eyes, dancing back and forth, drank in the beauty of the scenery. A ray of light burst through the clouds, streaking downwards. Radiant beams weaved in and out of the branches, splashing the earth with heat. Warmth spread lazily throughout my body as the light caressed my skin.

"Must be," Yusuke's chuckle invaded my thoughts, "you keep spacing out on us."

I laughed in apology, "sorry – where are we anyways?"

"Nearly in Hakone," he glanced over a shoulder, clicked on a blinker, and slipped onto another road, "a bit different from the forest near Genkai's, huh?" I nodded enthusiastically as he continued, "wait until you see the house – Keiko fixed up your room, so if you don't like it, it wasn't me."

"I'm not picky, so no worries," then, curiously, "how far are we from Genkai's?"

He glanced at the dashboard and took note of the time. "Hakone's about 80 kilometers from Genkai's place," scrunching up his face, he appeared to be in the midst of deep calculation, a little unnerving, given how he scoffed at any hint of an education, "a little over an hour drive, I say."

I once again pondered at the unit of measurement. I honestly tried to calculate the distance, but it just wasn't meant to be, and promptly gave up. I did, however, remember that the couple had once mention they hadn't lived far from Genkai, a mere twenty minutes, as a matter of fact, so why the hour drive?

"Yusuke, I thought you guys said your home was twenty minutes away from Genkai's?"

"Well, you see, we did have a house near Genkai's, but we were also on the waiting list for a house here in Hakone, mind you, we waited two whole years!" Yusuke pushed his sunglass's farther up the bridge of his nose. His hand sat atop the steering wheel, guiding the car down the road with ease. "It was a shock when the owners decided to sell," he chuckled, "the old geezers finally decided to scram."

"Two years," I gasped, "why so long?"

"It's not easy finding a house out in Hakone," he rolled a shoulder, a casual shrug. "The money wasn't an issue. I've developed a fortune over the years, but we still got to respect the waiting list." Smiling, he fiddled with the radio, "that's why we were heading to Genkai's to tell you the news – until the earthquake, fire, you ending up in the hospital – just kind of slipped from our minds and we forgot to mention it until now."

I blushed, embarrassed about the whole hospital thing, but hey, that hadn't been my fault! "Wow, so it's all paid for?"

He nodded, "most people don't like to wait long for some house, but Keiko wanted it," a cocky grin emerged, "so I stuck to the plan. Besides, I'll be around more and we wanted to get more settled."

I nodded, not wanting to drill him with questions to appease my curiosity. There was a flash to the left and I studied the rearview mirror. A man sat atop a sleek, black, motorcycle. He trailed behind us, seemingly at ease upon the roaring machine. The sun's rays reflected against his shades, flashing in a way that they very much reminded me of his equally, glinting glares.

"Yusuke, how come Hiei rides a bike – I mean, I thought he could just travel using... well, his _speed._"

Yusuke rolled his eyes, snorting as he said, "Koenma doesn't want him using his powers too much while he's here," he sniggered, as he reminisced, "ya see, sometimes, humans see and they start coming up with these weird headlines about aliens and whatnot."

"So he can't use them?"

"He can," he voice trailed off thoughtfully, "just not anywhere near humans – unless, it's an emergency."

Leaning back in my chair, I returned my attention back to the view outside. Houses began appearing among the trees and more cars appeared on the road. The houses multiplied along with an assortment of buildings. I observed the people littering the sidewalks. Crowds bustled in and out of stores, their shoulders knocking against one another. Still, it was not as packed as the city.

A group of young girls walked out of a boutique, heads thrown back, and mouths emitting silent laughter. Smiles graced the mouths of the young women and I watched as the group strolled away. If my window had been down, the gleeful laughs would have pierced my ears. I smile sadly, wondering what was so funny to them and why seeing them brought up a stab of loneliness.

"Uh, what about school," I spotted another group of kids, "I'll be going to a different one now, right?"

Yusuke's mouth opened to reply until he was interrupted by the shrill of his cell phone. The ringtone was like the theme song in horror movies, one of impending doom, and I wondered who was calling that would cause Yusuke to give them such melody. He held the device to his ear with a lewd smile.

"Hey babe," he answered.

Of course, it would have to be Keiko. Turning away, I left him to his conversation.

The road began to climb steadily upwards and once again, there were less and less cars. The car slowed down as we rolled over a hill. Once we were at the top, I noticed a huge mountain in the distance. My eyes widened as I saw the snow crowning the top of the peak. It must be enormous, if I could see the snow so clearly!

"It's a mountain," I exclaimed, aiming my finger at the windowpane, "wow, I've never been this close to one before!"

Yusuke laughed into his phone. A moment later, he snapped it shut and set the device in the cup holder. Letting his other hand fall back onto the steering wheel, he dipped his head to view the mountain better.

"Good observation, kid," then more seriously, "Keiko said she can give you all the details about Mt. Fuji when we get home."

I frowned while mulling over the word 'home', because it seemed to flutter in and around my heart like an overzealous butterfly_._ It was real then, wasn't it? I was finally going to have a home. It had always been the orphanage, a foster home here and there, Genkai's place and now – now, I had a home!

A couple of more turns and then, at last, a house appeared. Eyeing our destination, I couldn't help but gasp in awe. A deep brown coated the outside and mahogany colored the window frames. The foundation was set onto cement giving the house a cleaner look. The dark blue tiled roof slanted to the side and ended in a point. It was cheery, beautiful, and _home!_

"See," Yusuke parked the car, "think it was worth the two year wait?"

There was a slight 'click', as Yusuke unlocked the doors, and I grasped the door handle to push the door open. A cool, crisp breeze chilled my skin. The temperature was a bit cooler than at Genkai's temple.

Collecting my bag from the trunk, Yusuke placed a hand on my shoulder and grinned. Following Yusuke, I walked up the steps carefully, making sure not trip over them, and perhaps, to keep from waking up, because if this was a dream, then I wanted to stay asleep. Yusuke twisted the silver knob and the door swung open.

A mixture of herbal seasonings danced in the air and caused my stomach to growl in hunger. Yusuke's chest expanded and he made this loud inhaling sound, as he sniffed deeply, nostrils flaring. After a long minute, he let it out in a loud sigh. I laughed softly, mentally picturing him choking on his own snot. Surprisingly, I managed not to burst out in insane laughter, and instead, began coughing softly to hide my own amusement.

"Home sweet home," he murmured with pride.

Keiko suddenly ambled out, wiping her hands on a pale yellow apron. A few tendrils of hair escaped out of her bun and glancing up, she finally noticed us standing near the door. A wide smile adorned her face and stayed there, as she hugged me warmly. Giving Yusuke a chaste kiss, she grabbed my bag and took a hold of my hand to lead me across the room. Actually, it was more like _hauling _me across the room.

"Yusuke, stir the food and don't let it sit too long," she yelled over her shoulder amidst Yusuke's protests.

Dragging me up a set of stairs, I barely managed to notice the lovely, polished, oak railing. I stumbled after her as she pulled me down a narrow hallway. Stopping near the end, she placed her hands over my eyes and by some miracle, I managed not to smack into anything. Hearing her nudge the door open, I walked blindly into the room, accidentally stepping on her foot. _Geeze, _I hurriedly mumbled an apology, _did I have to be such a klutz?_

"Okay," she moved her hands, "now, tell me what you honestly think."

The walls were a soft, taupe, color and the floors a reddish-brown color. The bed, against a wall, had a slight, curvy headboard. A powdery blue blanket lazed across the mattress with a couple of foam pillows. The nightstand and dresser were a bit curvy in a rather unique shape. There was a desk sitting handsomely against a window. And there was so much that I could stand there forever just drinking it in without shame.

Turning to Keiko, I quickly threw my arms around her neck, as I was unable to tell her just what I thought about the room. When Yusuke strolled into my room, I quickly hugged him too, because well, I was in a hugging mood. He merely threw his head back and boomed out with laughter. It was his belly-shaking laugh.

"I knew you would like it," beamed Keiko. "The people who lived here had great taste and," she waved a hand, "the whole house is quite modern compared to Genkai's. We hardly had to change anything as they let us have most of the appliances."

"Yeah, but I still had to haul in all our furniture," Yusuke rubbed at his lower back with a grimace, "about killed my back when Keiko had me arranging everything over and over-"

Whacking his arm and mumbling under her breath, Keiko threw a glare at Yusuke. Winking at me, he kept massaging his back, as if he were experiencing true agony.

"The book shelf's empty," she pointed at said self, "because I thought you might like to fill it with your own kind of books! And my old computer," she spun around to the desk and pointed at rather nice computer. At least, I thought so. The only type of electronic I had ever own was this alarm clock I had found at yard sale for two dollars. "I have a new laptop and this is still in good condition! It'll be great for all of your schooling, because I'm sure you'll have plenty of research to do – I know I did – oh, and I already put most of your other clothes away!"

I tore my eyes away from the computer. "All my clothes survived the fire?"

Keiko nodded, "the fire only destroyed the front part of the temple, which was good, because we were able to retrieve all of your stuff."

I opened the closet and ran a hand over all of the hanging articles of fabric. I stayed there, lost in thought, wondering how I ended here, in my own room – my very own room! I would have stayed there too, just mulling over everything, but then my stomach growled.

Hearing the rumble, Keiko laughed. "Well, how about we have some dinner, ne?"

With a blush, I nodded. Strolling ahead of them, I listened while Yusuke explained where their room was ("in case you get nightmares," he joked) and that Hiei's room was across from mine, as per Koenma's orders. So high on excitement, I didn't care that Hiei was, once again, forced to accommodate next to me.

The kitchen and dining room were combined together, but it wasn't crammed. The room was spacious and modern – no placemats or low table. A rectangle table was in the center with low profile chairs. A bench was on one side of the table with two chairs on the other side. Two more chairs were situated at the front and end of the table. A paper ball dangled from the ceiling; the only source of light.

Seating myself on the bench, I inhaled deeply as Keiko uncovered the lids before us. As I reached for my chopsticks, there was a hiss, the sound of the door sliding open, and I didn't have to turn to know who had entered. Even through all the excitement, I had never truly forgotten, because the heat still shimmered within my veins. Without a word, he took a seat across from me.

I waited for someone to move before serving myself, but no one did. Hiei rested his hear upon his hand and appeared bored. Keiko eyed Yusuke with a small smile. Yusuke blinked curiously at us.

"_In some households, you must wait until the head of the house indicates for the meal to begin. It's only manners though and not always carried out. It's a nice gesture, though."_

Yukina's soft words echoed and I waited patiently for Yusuke to indicate something – not that he had to, but it was respectful in many households, right? He was the head now.

As if just realizing the situation, he cleared his throat and gave a jerky nod. Perhaps, that was enough, because Hiei broke his chopsticks apart with a loud snap. Unsnapping mine, I reached forward to serve myself.

"What's this called," I practically moaned out as the savory noodles tingled in my mouth, "it's delicious!"

Keiko smiled before replying with, "a Yakisoba recipe, but I added a few different seasonings to it, for flavor."

"Keiko's a great cook, but," Yusuke suddenly grimaced, "when we were younger, her cooking was awful and rock hard. Burned nearly everything –"Yusuke grinned even as Keiko scowled," but I ate it anyways." Keiko suddenly smiled, as Yusuke gazed softly at her, until, "I think some of it never digested though."

Yusuke laughed loudly at the frown marring Keiko's pretty face. Although she appeared angry, there was a small smile hovering at the corner of Keiko's lips. I smiled while staring from one to the other.

For dessert, Keiko brought out a familiar dish –

"Dorayaki," I shouted gleefully.

Reaching for one, I bit into it. Immediately, the sweet substance, inside the pancake-like bread, teased my taste buds. It had been the first thing I had eaten after arriving here and had easily become my favorite food.

"Looks like we know what your favorite dessert is now," exclaimed Keiko.

I insisted that I clean up the kitchen after dinner was done, but Keiko stated that the cleaning will be much faster for two people instead of one. So Keiko and I cleared the table while Yusuke dug around in the cabinets, searching for some sake to serve Hiei. He pulled out two, huge bottles.

"Don't drink too much!" Keiko warned sternly to Yusuke.

Frowning, he put the other bottle back, but when she looked away, he took it back out. I feigned ignorance and returned to my task. I scrubbed at the dishes and Keiko dried them.

Glancing over my shoulder, I watched Yusuke pour the sake from a round ceramic flask. He tipped it into a small cup that Hiei was holding out with one hand. Afterwards, Yusuke quickly swallowed his own drink in one shot.

"Just a few drinks," laughed Yusuke, even as he downed another shot.

Rolling her eyes, Keiko began putting the dishes away.

Deciding to turn in for the night, Keiko gave me a quick peck on my forehead and I felt… normal. As weird as it sounds, I wasn't embarrassed by the act or shocked. The deed had felt natural, like an ordinary nightly ritual. Ruffling my hair, Yusuke smiled inanely (the sake) at me before turning back to Hiei. As I was exiting the kitchen, heat licked at my neck. I knew where the heat was coming from, because only he could cause that tingle. Glancing at Hiei, I gave him a small smile before scurrying out the kitchen to escape the bizarre warmth.

Closing my door softly, I turned and viewed the room, still in awe, at the fact, that I had such a nice room. At once, my mind began stirring – How long had it been since I left the orphanage? Had months flown by or mere weeks – Shaking my head, I slipped on my pajamas.

Flipping off the light switch, I flung myself across my room and jumped into bed. Bouncing on the mattress, I sighed in bliss, as the cool sheets rubbed against my skin. My eyelids fluttered and I sensed the arms of sleep ready to claim another victim.

I thought maybe I would lie here for hours, too excited to sleep, and certainly unable to sleep, being in a strange, new environment. However, I wasn't uncomfortable. Maybe, after sleeping in a hospital for two days, had taken its toll, and now, the first available bed would be greatly welcomed, no matter the environment.

And then I was tumbling in a world of dreams.

-Dream-

I was standing in darkness, so dark, that I couldn't make out my own hands. I listened carefully, searching for clues to my whereabouts – there was nothing beside the harshness of my breathing. I stepped forward and the small movement caused a cascade of light. The tiny light burst forth and zipped around hidden cracks, over and up, until it exploded. I was blinded, dazed, and certainly, I've lost my eyesight, but no –

I was in a room and it was such a magnificent room. The entire room was gold and the color sparkled playfully. Black designs crawled around in an ancient art, or a dead language, over hanging domes and shimmering walls. I followed the designs and up they went, gliding up the stairs toward an altar. There was a woman there, standing before the altar and I stepped forward slowly. Whirling around, she pinned me there with startling blue eyes.

She looked so familiar – but from where?

Before I could utter a word, ask where we were, the room began spinning. The walls revolved in a smooth rhythm and then increased in speed, making a swooshing sound after each revolution. I glanced at the woman, but she remained standing there, seemingly undisturbed by the walls. Tearing my eyes away, I decided to find a way out for us both, but another woman appeared. The first thing I noticed was her eyes, because they were beautiful. Each eye was a different color – blue and green.

I backed up towards the side of the room to keep both women within my view. The woman, at the altar, was still smiling with eyes full of kindness – why wasn't she running, because we're in danger, aren't we? My eyes flashed over to the other woman, the one with odd eyes and she seemed older, but not in her appearance; it was eyes. Her eyes were so old and sad, as if she had been around for too long, longer than one should be granted.

"The journey will be difficult," whispered the old woman with the unique eyes.

To my surprise, she disappeared, fading into thin tendrils, like mist. I whirled around to the other woman, the one at the altar, to make sure she was still here with me. She was and still smiling and there was a sudden confidence in her eyes, as if she finally realized something.

"No," shouted an unknown that sounded unlike the unique-eyed woman that had disappeared. This was a new person and she was frantic. I could almost hear the tears in her scream. "The s-sacrifice – it's too much! I couldn't do it! Don't do this – you won't be able to pull it off!"

"Don't worry," the woman at the altar smiled down at me and it hurt to hear that, as if these were her last words, "I'll be fine."

One blink was all it took to see the sudden change in her face. She was standing there, no more smiles, and it was her eyes…

They looked so lost.

I tried calling out to her, but she too, disappeared, leaving me alone to bask in their sadness.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The tapping persisted and the shadows stretched out with inky fingers. I staggered backward, suddenly overcome with fatigue. Trembling, I clutched at the nearest wall.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

I fell to the ground, slumping over in exhaustion. I was too weak now. The shadows reached forward to claw at my legs and everything is still spinning and spinning –

"Get up."

I shook my head at the command and instead curled into a ball.

Dark tendrils extended toward me, but instead of panicking at the oncoming darkness, I grimaced in annoyance.

"Get. Up."

Shaking my head furiously, I curled up more. I heard a soft growl, as the strands of darkness brushed against me, swarming me with warmth. I sighed and close my eyes for blissful sleep, but something tugged on my arm and cold, frigid air pierced my skin.

_-_End of dream-

There was a brutal tug and then the blast of cold air. Fully awake, I glanced up to find Hiei towering above me. Sitting up, I opened my mouth to shout at him, but he slammed my blanket into my face. I quickly clawed the blanket off my face. I was ready to attack him with hateful words, but he was already walking away, as if I wasn't worth his time.

I'm not sure why, because I'm not a violent person, but I had enough. Wielding my pillow, I scrambled out of bed. I knew it was futile to attack him, because he always sensed the few assaults that I would launch at him – always. So of course, this was no exception. Yet, I still tried, because I was tired of him flaunting his superiority. I was tired of his damn arrogance!

I'd never hit him, because it wasn't possible, but even so, I swung the fluffy pillow toward the back of his head. The moment his head jerked forward, I realized what I had done. I was horrorstruck, because he was supposed to blur away – oh, god, why didn't he move!

I had done the inevitable… with a pillow.

Normally, people brush this off with a shrug, or maybe a laugh, but this was Hiei, and his hands were curling into fists! Slowly, he turned and it was frightening at how all the muscles in his back seemed to coil with the simple movement. I waited, but I should run, because this wasn't a laughing matter, there was nothing funny about it at all!

When his eyes met mine, it felt like a punch in the chest, because they were ruthless, all narrowed and burning with hate. His brows were drawn together, emphasizing his glare even more. He looked lethal. He _was _lethal. This was his demon nature. I had crossed the line and only now, was I fully aware of his strength, because it was aimed at me.

Quickly, he stormed forward and I scrambled away. I was unaware of clutching the pillow, holding it like some sort of shield, and he must have sensed that I was trying to create a barrier, because he ripped it away. I heard the fabric tear slightly from my nails.

"_Stupid," _he hissed through clenched teeth while slinging the pillow away, "_human!"_

I was terrified, yes, but I had reached a point, where the fear coiling in my veins can turn quickly into anger. I was like a cornered animal and he, the hunter, and all I could do, was bare my teeth and fight back.

"What's your problem," I lifted my head, meeting his glare head on.

"My problem," he snarled, "is having to stay in such close proximity to a pathetic little thing."

"You think I like this?" I was shaking in rage, something I was unfamiliar with, but there it was, clawing up from the bit of my belly. "You think I like dealing with your arrogant attitude – like I just go around wanting to hang out with some random stranger!" I screamed, the pent up frustration ripping from my throat. "_What did I ever do to you? What did I do to deserve this hate?"_

"Shut up! Your damn voice is grating on my nerves!"

I moved to go around him, because I wanted to grab another pillow, or shoe, something to throw at him. I wanted to throw everything at him, but he rudely swiped his hand at me, pushing me back against the wall.

"You prick! Emotionless-" I growled out while jabbing him with my finger, "I put up with this day after day, trying to stay out of your way –"

Grabbing my hand and jerking it upwards, I nearly screamed, as his face was suddenly mere inches from my own. His fingers bit into my skin, but I was furious, too angry to dwell on the pain, and I brought my other hand up to slap him. I wished I was faster, able to catch him off guard, like with the pillow, because I wanted to hit him, but he was steps ahead. Catching my flying hand, he slammed me back against the wall in a deadly pin. The back of my head banged back against the wall and I whimpered at the brutal contact. I thought he would gloat, make a smart remark about my weakness, but already he was releasing me while rubbing away at the back of his head.

"_You little bitch," _he was grimacing, but from what?

"_You egotistical, bastard_ –"

"Enough! I will not tolerate –"

"Egocentric, fathead –"

"Shut up, you wench –"

"Arrogant, jerk –"

His fingers quickly wrapped around my neck and the insults halted. I held my breath, as he leaned in to peer into my face. Unnerved, I glanced over his shoulder. His hand was merely holding my neck and I questioned mentally why he wasn't choking the hell out of me.

"Are you done," he murmured and I shivered, as his breath skimmed across my neck.

I kept still, even though I desperately wanted to push him away. He was overwhelming me with his nearness. I had never felt so small before until I met him. He was too big for me to fight. I was too weak to fight him. Despite it all, a slow, aching heat spread from the pit of my stomach and this heat was different; it _felt _different. Before I could delve into the feeling, question its distinctions, he released his hold.

Once his footsteps had died away, I sank against the wall. _Was that it_, I asked myself. How can he cause so much fear in me and then just quickly turn away as if nothing had happened? _Because_, yelled my mind, _he's just proving to you, that you are not worth any more time._

Even so, I was grateful for the sudden freedom. I was tired again and felt drained from the fight – why did I get so angry? I was never one to lash out and vent. I was calm and in control. I didn't lose my temper. I didn't toss out insults. I just wasn't cruel like that. Yet, _he_ changed everything. Bowing my head, I wondered how he could get under my skin so quickly.

I was ready to go back to sleep, burrow under the blankets, and lick my wounds, but Yusuke was calling my name. I thought about ignoring him, because I needed to recover, but –

"KAREN! BREAKFAST, NOW!"

With a sigh, I bowed my head again and shuffled down the stairs in white slippers, white t-shirt and red pajama pants with little bunnies upon them. I chuckled to myself, the aftermath giggle, as I pictured my argument with Hiei – an argument with me in my bunny pajamas. I had gone off the deep end and plummet straight into a maddening pit. I should be downtrodden, scared to death from what had happened, and despite all those, I couldn't help but giggle. I've lost it.

Still scared, and still giggling, but too groggy to give a damn, I entered the kitchen. There, completely relaxed, sat Yusuke with a newspaper. I thought he looked rather intelligent, made so, by the fact, that he was wearing glasses. Catching my eye, Yusuke whipped off the glasses in embarrassment, murmuring about trying them on, and what was the deal with them – I shrugged. Glancing around, I saw no one else.

I thought about asking where Keiko was, or better yet, did Hiei already eat breakfast so I wouldn't have to see him, but given how the morning started, I kind of just wanted to slump through everything.

Plopping myself upon the bench, I stared groggily at the bowl before me. Fat, brown, grains hovered inside a porcelain bowl filled with milk. A large spoon was next to the bowl and I plunked the silverware in the bowl.

"Cereal," replied a tensed Yusuke.

Sniffing the food, I lifted my eyebrows at Yusuke. He seemed a little grumpy, which was made apparent, by the way he jerked his head at the bowl in some sort of challenge. I looked down at the cereal in confusion. With a sigh, I took a bite – and nearly gagged! The milk tasted too warm and coated my mouth with an unpleasant taste. Every chew made the grains squish unpleasantly.

"Well it would've tasted better _earlier_," he huffed, "I made it earlier and I told Hiei to wake you up while I retrieved the newspaper. Stupid, delivery boy always drops it off at the end of the driveway, a mile walk – so you better eat it!"

I grimaced, finally managing to swallow the sodden food. I felt the substance glide down my throat and settle uncomfortably in my stomach. Well, at least I knew why Hiei was in my room, and thankfully, no one had been around to hear our argument.

Of course, perhaps if Yusuke had heard, then he wouldn't make me eat this – I swallowed – stuff.

It was slushy.

It was soggy.

It was sickening.

"See," he grinned, seemingly pleased that he had fix breakfast, "yummy, isn't it?"

I nodded, swallowing hard as the food lodged in my throat. "Keiko's not here?"

"She's at work." Yusuke pulled a glass down from the cabinets and filled it with orange juice. "She's an accountant, but she only works on the weekends until she finishes school."

"Oh, so that's what she does."

"So-o-o," he set the juice in front of me, to which, I chugged with relish. Quirking a brow, he continued, "I made breakfast for you, but when I came back you still hadn't touched it." Hands on his hips, Yusuke looked like a disgruntled mother. "I worked really hard on it, you know? Are you a hard sleeper or something?"

An image of Hiei yanking my covers off flashed inside my head. "Yeah, I guess."

"Well, I'm going to get ready. I have to go to the super market and get," he dug around in his pocket and pulled out a wad of paper, "whatever is on this list."

Once he was gone, I took my bowl over to the trash and emptied the remains. I grimaced, watching as a few chunks slipped out of the bowl. I had eaten most of the soggy cereal, because Yusuke had been watching. Now, the majority of the horrid cereal resided in my stomach.

I was ready to bolt up to my room, shower, and maybe sleep another two hours, which had to be enough time to digest Yusuke's breakfast, but that was until my spoon clattered into the garbage. Groaning, I reached inside and felt a spongy material brush against my fingers. Feeling a solid stick, I pulled it out. I felt like sobbing, as milk dripped from my fingers.

_Man, I got up on the wrong side of the bed._


	9. Prying into Affairs

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Nine- Prying into Affairs

* * *

Koenma faced the window, hands behind his back, and eyes glazed over in deep thought. Outside, ferry girls zoomed by upon their oars, zipping in and out of the clouds, causing wisps of white to streak behind them. A few girls arched in circles and twirled about on their oars before finally heading toward their destinations.

Beyond his office door, grunts and shouts resounded. Feet shuffled by, casting shadows beneath the doorway. Koenma was roused from his thoughts, as papers slid beneath his door and atop his desk. He sighed, recognizing the new declaration of deaths. Glancing back out, Koenma watched the workings of Spirit World.

One ferry girl, with bright pink hair, somehow managed to tap the glass while she zipped past the window. Koenma frowned as he watched her mouth open wide in laughter. She came back around, waved, and descended into a cloud. Scowling, he turned away to finish his work when there was a loud knock.

"Koenma, sir," a hoarse voice announced from the other side of the door, "I have the documents you requested."

Koenma sighed, his eyes closing briefly, "very well, Jorge, come in."

The door opened to reveal a tall man – er, creature. His blue skin contrasted oddly with the pale walls and even more so with his blond hair. The loincloth around Jorge's waist rustled as he moved forward. He held a stack of folders, papers bulging out and blocking his sight. The ogre stumbled into the office with knees bent and arms shaking, as he heaved the folders onto the desk. The stack landed with a resounding thud.

"Do you need anything else, sir?" Jorge huffed, his large hands straightening the pile.

Koenma did not bother to reply, as he scurried across the room and hopped into his chair. His small pudgy hands flipped through the stack with practiced ease.

"Ogre, is this everything?" asked Koenma flippantly.

"Well, no," Jorge answered and stiffened when Koenma's child-like eyes squinted at him, "now, now, sir, we're still searching!"

"I asked for everything!" Koenma growled, his eyes narrowing even more.

Not knowing what else to say, Jorge decided to do as he always did, which was scream, "don't hurt me!"

Koenma suddenly leaped onto his desk, trying to appear taller. Jorge yelped, back rigid from trying to compose himself. Pacing, Koenma's robe billowed out in annoyance. Jorge's teeth knocked against one another in a horrible chatter.

"When I say I need something pronto," muttered Koenma before yelling, "I mean pronto!"

"Please, sir! There is so much to look through and t-the archives from that period are a mess!" confessed Jorge with a startled wave of his blue hands.

Koenma sucked vigorously on his pacifier, making a loud smacking noise. Glancing back down at the folders, he appeared to be mulling over the news, and in doing so, his eyes softened. Jorge nearly 'awed' when Koenma pouted, the baby lips sticking out around the blue binky.

"I suppose you are right, ogre," another suckle, "however, I still need as much as possible."

Watching his toddler boss walked off the desk, Jorge frowned. Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke. Jorge hurriedly waved a hand in the air to clear away the smoke, but accidentally hit Koenma in the face. The blue pacifier went flying across the room. Koenma howled and hurried to cover his mouth with a hand.

"Koenma, sir – I didn't mean to! I was just trying to –"

"Ogre –"

"– but your face was," babbled Jorge.

"Ogre –"

"– and WHAM – Here, I picked up your pacifier. Please forgive –"

"OGRE!" yelled Koenma before bringing himself to his full height.

Jorge cringed.

"I'm fine," hissed Koenma.

Silence filled the room and Jorge shuffled his huge feet. Koenma rubbed his nose and shoved his pacifier into a drawer. He would not need it for a while.

"Did you have to hit me," groaned Koenma after a long moment.

Jorge glanced sheepishly at the floor before replying with, "did you have to change into your form so close to me, sir?"

"Well," began Koenma, "I have a meeting with Yusuke and Kurama. They take me more seriously in my older form."

"Uh, but why so close –"

"Because I can," Koenma narrowed his eyes, "you should be used to it by now, ogre!"

Jorge closed his eyes sadly, "no need to yell, sir."

Koenma's mouth closed abruptly and he turned away with a twitchy eye. Crossing around his desk, he sat down with a growl and picked up some papers. A vein throbbed at Koenma's temple, making Jorge turn and tiptoe towards the door. His huge, blue toes carried him across the carpet swiftly. The moment his hand touched the knob, Koenma's voice sounded behind him.

"Good work, Jorge."

Jorge spun around with wide eyes, "EH?"

Rolling his eyes, Koenma continued, "here, take these to Anita and have her track down that _woman_. It's been awhile since I have last spoken with _her_." Then, as an afterthought, "give the rest of the papers to her as well."

George nodded, grabbed the papers, and escaped from the room. Koenma closed his eyes while massaging his temple.

"Headache, Koenma?"

Koenma did not bother to open his eyes, as a familiar voice met his ears. The smell of strawberries wafted around him and he inhaled. A soft hand danced lightly against the back of his neck before resting on his shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.

"Botan," he sighed.

Botan laughed and perched herself atop the desk. His eyes opened, watching her as she read some papers, admiring the way her lips puckered in concentration, and yes, her shampoo smelled heavenly. She shifted slightly, unaware that the small act caused her thigh to brush against his hand. Smiling, he lifted a hand and placed it upon her knee.

"Koenma," she jumped in surprise, "I thought we discussed this," her fuchsia eyes sparkled, "we're working!"

Koenma chuckled and gave a knee a lingering squeeze, "oh, I know."

Then, as if he hadn't just intimately patted her knee, he turned away. She watched him beneath her bangs, trying to appear discreet while she admired his handsome face. He appeared completely oblivious to her, ignoring her for the moment to slip a few items into his pockets. Some hair fell into his eyes and she itched to smooth it away, but then he closed a drawer and the sound caused her to look away.

"Well, if you know, then why do you act –" Botan squeaked as he intervened.

Koenma placed a hand on either side of her and she gulped. Leaning in, his eyes gleamed playfully and she shivered.

"Ask me again later," he murmured.

"When," asked Botan breathily and when he leaned back, she reached for him.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he teased while reaching for her wrists, "please Botan, we're working."

Botan gasped, her eyes narrowing at him. She opened her mouth to argue, but a loud voice yelled down the hall.

"_What do ya mean you can't get me a beer_ –"

She hopped off the desk just as two men ambled into the room. Yusuke stomped over to the nearest chair and slouched into it with a scowl. Appearing much more good-natured, Kurama nodded his head politely at Botan and settled into a chair.

"Someone's in a bad mood," Botan raised an eyebrow, "what's with all the yelling?"

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Damn ogres asked me if I wanted anything, but when I asked for a beer, they protested." He snorted, "what was the use of asking?"

"Beer isn't served here, Yusuke," supplied Koenma with an amused smile.

"Then get some."

"Don't you have sake at home, Yusuke?" asked Kurama.

"Yeah," now, Yusuke appeared saddened, "I did yesterday, but Hiei and I drank it all."

Kurama chuckled, "that explains your peevish behavior."

"Whatever," mumbled Yusuke, "guess so cause' I took it out on Karen this morning."

Without warning, Botan marched over to Yusuke, "_what?"_

"Calm down, Botan, ouch, stop," Yusuke winced, as Botan jabbed a slender finger into his chest. "I didn't do anything – I meant that I made her eat soggy cereal!" Then with a frown, "might have to apologize for that later too – when I get around to it…"

Knitting her eyebrows together, Botan crossed her arms. "Soggy cereal – that is just nasty," she scrunched up her face, "how could you?" And with that, she turned away.

"Geeze, Botan. It's just cereal –" Yusuke replied with a roll of his eyes, but stiffened once Botan whirled back around with a glare.

"It's not just cereal," exclaimed Botan, "it is soggy cereal!" She huffed and stomped out of the room, throwing over her shoulder, "SOGGY!"

The door slammed and the entire room trembled.

Koenma rubbed the back of his neck.

Kurama coughed into his hand.

Yusuke blinked his eyes.

"Okay," drawled Yusuke before pinning Koenma with a frown, "what's her problem?"

Koenma concentrated on signing his papers in order to avoid their gazes. "How should I know?"

"She is your employee," stated Kurama calmly.

Tugging at his collar, Koenma started straightening his desk. Yusuke waited a minute, trying to get a grasp on things, but the sound of items shuffling across Koenma's desk unnerved him.

"So, whatcha got?" asked Yusuke in an effort to get things rolling.

"Well," Koenma began, finally looking up, "what are your assumptions?"

Yusuke threw his hands up into the air, "I don't know what to make of it – one minute it was there and the next," he snapped his fingers, "poof!"

Kurama nodded in agreement, "I inspected the area once Yusuke called, but the trail was cold. Even if I had felt it, I would not have been able to pinpoint the source since neither Yusuke nor Hiei, at the time, could find it.

"Mm," murmured Koenma in deep thought, "none of the monitors here reported anything unusual, but I'm assuming it was because the energy had been brief or …"

"The monitors are not familiar with the energy," finished Kurama.

"Whatever it was," Yusuke leaned further in his chair and stared up at the ceiling, "it caused those earthquakes."

"A demon with abnormal energy," suggested Kurama, "or something we haven't faced before?"

"I don't know, but," Koenma plucked a couple of papers from a nearby stack, "I had the border patrol report to me and as of yet, there are no break-ins, but as you know, that does not necessarily mean a demon could not have slipped past security." Eyeing the two men, Koenma frowned. "However, Yusuke is correct. That earthquake was forced and the readout of the seismic waves is all off," he handed a chart to Kurama, "the waves were off the chart one moment and then look, they just dropped."

Kurama scanned the chart with a narrowed gaze, "is the public aware?"

Koenma leaned back in his chair, "Scientists are baffled but they're keeping the information to themselves for now."

"But if this does happen again, they will assume higher powers at work," replied Kurama, as fact and not a question. "Humans have quite an imagination."

"What – like the end of the world or something?" asked Yusuke and he very nearly threw back his head to laugh, but catching his companions' serious gazes, he closed his mouth.

"Yes," answered Koenma, "scientists will suspect the end of the world, which will then cause panic among the people – not that it hasn't happen before." Sighing, Koenma fiddled with a pen, "if a demon is behind this, then we must keep him from human eyes."

Yusuke frowned as he studied Koenma's face. He looked weary, as always, but there was something else. It was as if he was holding something back, and only now, could Yusuke see it appearing from that extra crinkle at his eye, or the way his frown lingered longer than necessary.

"Koenma," Yusuke sat up straighter, "what else is there?"

"I'm not sure," the prince swept a hand through his hair, "but the past could be coming into play, something long forgotten – everything about it is almost lost, but some do remember. In fact, it's before my own time."

"The past," Kurama's eyes glittered, as he stared at Koenma. "Koenma what could it possibly be?"

"No," wearily, Koenma shook his head, "I'm not revealing anything more – not until I know everything."

"Koenma, don't tempt me to punch you," warned Yusuke, pausing for an added effect, "because I hardly need any tempting."

"Go ahead," the prince shrugged, "but there is no need to worry, not yet." Koenma's eyes hardened and both detectives knew the conversation had ended. The prince could be very stubborn at times.

"Fine, Koenma," then, as if they hadn't just been discussing anything serious, Yusuke pulled out his shopping list, "is that a wrap, cause' only I've got like an entire novel to shop for."

"Not yet," Koenma handed out more charts, "in demon world, there have been random rumblings of the earth."

"Like the ones before earthquakes occur," questioned Kurama, "tremors?"

"Precisely and it's unnerving the demons." Koenma fixed Kurama with a steady gaze and said, "I know you preferred not to be associated with Yomi anymore, but he's asked for your assistance to look in on these tremors."

Kurama bowed his head, thinking. It was true. After losing his fight in the Demon Tournament, he asked to be left alone, explaining that his family was more important. Besides, it had been quite a hassle trying to make sure his mother never found out. He did not intend to do so again. His family's safety was important.

"Has he not asked his own men to scout his territory?"

"They haven't found anything," Koenma fixed his pile of papers, "but Yomi believes you'll be able to find something. The tremors keep erupting in his land, you know, more so, than in Yusuke's or Mukuro's lands, in fact, in all of Demon world. He's supplied data of the tremors to us and the data seems to mimic the seismic waves near Genkai's area. They, too, are feeling the strange peaks of energy."

Not quite wanting to commit to assisting, Kurama simply stated, "I'll consider it." And he would consider it… eventually.

Nodding, as if expecting the answer, Koenma then turned to the other man. "Yusuke, give a message to Hiei." He waited for Yusuke to take out a pen and start writing, but the former detective merely looked over his shopping list. Shaking his head, the prince rattled out the message, "Mukuro understands the situation, but requests to meet with him as _soon_ as his circumstances are settled."

"Right," Yusuke crumbled his list back into a ball and stuffed it in his pocket. "Mukuro's pissed, I've got it."

"Yusuke –"

"Kidding, kidding. Geeze, change your diaper."

Koenma sighed, before continuing, "Hokushin has relayed his message to you by now?"

"Yeah, yeah, "grunted Yusuke before crossing his arms. "Of course, you would already know that by now. You know _everything._"

"I only know so much, Yusuke. You know that," muttered Koenma as he opened a folder. "I have my limits. I only know what has been documented in people's lives, the significant events. If I did know everything, then identifying sources and knowing when and where demons were located at all times would be easier."

"Just messing with you, so get off your high horse," remarked Yusuke. Standing and stretching, Yusuke glanced over at Koenma. Eyes softening with hidden concern, he added, "take a break."

With that, Yusuke tossed a wave over his shoulder and exited the office, making sure to bump into ogres on purpose. Following his friend, Kurama bid goodbye and shut the door.

Once Kurama and Yusuke left, Koenma glanced out the window. Thoughts swirled in his head and for once, he wished he could just empty his head, and then take the entire year off. If only he could _know _everything like Yusuke had said, then everything would be much simpler.

Life would be easier, much easier.

* * *

Tadpoles wiggled around in the pond and plunging my hand into the cold water, I watched as the tiny black creatures scurried away. I waited until the tadpoles swam back before punching my hand in the water again. A dark spot suddenly emerged beneath the tadpoles and I squinted, crouching closer to peer into the depths. Leaning forward more, my face stared back at me. I hovered above the liquid to watch the dark shadow growing clearer and clearer. Eyes widening, I realized something was swimming toward me!

A shrill shriek erupted from my mouth and I flew backward, as a frog leaped out of the water, flying upwards, and landing with a croak. I blinked, as the amphibian hopped away, before bursting out in laughter. However, I laughed too hard and too suddenly, because my lungs started aching. Digging out the inhaler, I tore off the lid and placed the tip to my lips. Pressing down on the top, I heard the soft hissing sound, as the cool mist sprayed into my mouth.

I knew playing with tadpoles was childish, but nature was new to me. I was amazed at all the creatures suddenly available since New York hardly had anything, besides the zoo. The zoo, although great at times, did not compare to the wilderness. Here, the air smelled cleaner, the landscape was better, and everything was just more superior to that of New York.

I especially liked the evening sky. The flood of lights in New York blocked out the true beauty of the night. In Hakone, once the sun began to set and the sky deepened, tiny stars could be seen, like a blanket of glitter. Hakone was growing on me.

"Karen," I heard someone called out, "did you fall? I heard you scream."

I glanced over my shoulder and grinned. Yusuke was jogging down the small hill toward the woods.

"Yeah," I answered once he was within earshot, "but it was just a frog. It surprised me, is all."

With amused grin, Yusuke hauled me up. I twisted my body and glanced at my rear, which was covered in dirt. Dusting myself, I soon gave up once the dirt merely smeared.

"Look," I pointed a finger at the pond, "this pond has tadpoles, a lot of them."

Yusuke tapped his shoe into the water and the tadpoles scattered, "yeah," then, with nothing better to do than make mindless conversation, he asked, "so what do you think about them?"

"Well, these tadpoles are funny." I answered honestly. "They keep coming back every time, even though you disturb their home," then, to myself, "such brave, little creatures."

"Poor tadpoles," Yusuke patted my shoulder, "you're scaring the crap out of them."

I smiled sheepishly and stared at the ground. "I was just playing." Even as I said that, I couldn't help but poke the water one more time. It was addicting.

Suddenly, a candy bar waved under my nose and I looked up at him. With a grin, Yusuke placed the package in my hand and nodded his head back to the house in an indication for us to head back.

"Shh," he winked before pulling out another candy bar for himself, "don't tell Keiko that I gave you candy, or she'll preach to kingdom come about how it ruins dinner and blah, blah, Yusuke, you're a jerk."

I opened the package and bit the chocolate with a grin. Yusuke took a huge bite of his chocolate, nearly taking out the entire bar. We both sighed in bliss.

"Mm, chocolate," he moaned, "… beats soggy cereal, huh?"

I grinned.

He was apologizing for making me eat that horrible, soggy crap two months ago – I staggered in disbelief at the time frame. It seemed like only yesterday that Yusuke was making me eat a bowl of horrid cereal. It seemed like only yesterday Keiko was showing me around my room. How the time flies…

But the cereal incident had been so long ago… I guess he wasn't one for immediate apologies, not that he had to apologize. I still like cereal. However, it was most likely something he felt he had to get around to doing – Yusuke was a horrible procrastinator. He was always procrastinating to pay the bills and insisted that there was still plenty of time to pay them.

This attribute was something Keiko could not stand. She had even involved me in making sure to remind him to pay the bills when I had been forced to go grocery shopping with Yusuke. Grocery shopping meant pay the bills while in town. No matter how many times I reminded Yusuke, he would say, 'sure thing! Hey, let's stop there! Oh, what were you saying?' – It was useless. He just could not stand to do something on time.

Grocery shopping was another thing.

I liked going with Keiko, because she always knew where to go, what to get, and how to go about doing it in the fastest time possible. Keiko did not fool around when it came to getting things done. She was also a bargainer. She was always gushing in excitement and saying 'Oh, look at that, Karen! See – if you just look at the display signs, you can find another brand that will save you…' – the rest of her words were always filled up with percentages and cost effective methods. She loved a good sales deal!

The times I had to go with Yusuke were not as simple as Keiko's shopping. When shopping with Yusuke, one could expect to spend hours in the store. For one thing, he always handed me the list as if I knew where everything was, which I did not – and that would explain why we spent so long in the store (honestly, Keiko made the longest lists in the world). Sometimes, shopping with him could even be chaotic. One time, he ran the shopping cart into a display of soup cans and looking at me, he said 'see what you did', and promptly left me to pick up every can.

Sometimes, I wished I could just wait outside with Hiei on shopping days.

Yusuke pushed me a bit and the jostle knocked away my thoughts. He grinned impishly and began walking backwards toward the house. I knew that look in his eyes. He wanted to race up the hill, something we had only done twice, and each time he had won without a sweat. Both times, I had ended up tripping and rolling back down the hill, which he would then have to peel me off the ground.

Shoving the rest of the chocolate into my mouth, I took off up the hill without warning. His adamant 'hey, you're cheating' was met by my evil laughter. All serious now, I sprinted up the hill with the determination of wanting to win just once. I was near the top and only several more feet remained to the door. I could hear his footsteps behind me. I reached out to touch the door. There was a sharp tug on my shoe and I went down for the count.

I did not win… again.

He did.

But one day, I was going to win!

Sometimes, I forgot what he was. It was hard to imagine him as a powerful demon with the way he acted.

Jogging inside, I headed into the restroom to wash my hands before dinner. The dirt caked on my hands turned to mud once the liquid mixed the substances. I squirted gelled soaped into my hands and sniffed the jelly liquid. It smelled like blueberries. Keiko always bought such nice smelling soap.

Scrubbing vigorously in the small bathroom, I did not hear the door open over the sound of running water. I managed to glance up, more out of habit to check a stray strand of hair in the mirror, and gasped when red eyes reflected back. I spun around and accidently splashed water on the intruder. He growled and swiped at his face to rid the bubbly water.

"You, you, uh," I panted out, "scared me."

"Good," he grunted, "move."

Roughly pushing me out of the way, he headed toward the sink. He completely ignored me, as he squirted soap into his hand.

"Hey," I frowned, "I was here first! You can't just come barging in!"

"Shut up."

Taking a deep breath, I readied myself to poke his back. However, my foot snagged on the rug and I ended up pushing him. Gasping, I turned to flee. I would have bolted out the door, ready to fly down the hall, but his hand grazed my side and I giggled.

Yes, I giggled.

That one, little laughter, caused a huge silence. He was staring at me with a peculiar expression, one I could not entirely comprehend. Slowly, as if I was going to bite, he gave another poke, and there was another automatic giggle. As the laughter whispered away, I blushed in embarrassment – he had accidentally tickled me.

Awkward silence filled the tiny bathroom.

His expression was unemotional.

My expression was humiliation.

Ducking my head, I dashed out of the room, down the hall, and toward the kitchen. I walked hurriedly and hoped the flush would leave my face before I entered the kitchen.

Seating myself upon the bench, I smiled at Keiko. A short second later, Hiei entered and I ducked my head. To keep myself from reliving the bathroom incident, I decided to drown it in Keiko's awesome cooking.

"Do you like my somen recipe?" chirped Keiko.

I nodded vigorously, swallowing before I replied, "Yeah! I like how these cold noodles taste with that sauce stuff." And it was a great mood lifter!

"That's good," she replied, and then, "Karen?"

"Yes?"

"About your school," Keiko leaned forward more seriously. I sat up straighter at the abrupt change in her tone. "Summer break is almost up," she informed and I nodded, "We only just uh," she looked uneasily at Yusuke, "I mean, you know I don't procrastinate," Yusuke grumbled under his breath and she hurried on, "but we completely forgot about the change of your school since we've moved here. I mean we had ample time to do this, nearly two months…"

Glancing at Keiko, I reached for the ceramic bowl containing some herbal toppings. It was near the corner, but I could not reach it, even with my arm outstretch.

"Oh" I concentrated on the bowl, willing it to move. The bowl slid toward me and I grinned, believing in divine mind powers until realizing Hiei's hand casually pushing the bowl.

"Remember that Koenma had the records done for the school near our other house, the one we were already living in before we moved out here?" I nodded again. "Well, we forgot about that… and the school year is about to start. We've had to hurry and see about the schools here for you," she cleared her throat, "and it changes things."

"What things," I froze, "did something happen?"

"Don't get me wrong," Keiko brushed away my worries with a smile, "the schools here in Hakone are even more impressive than the one Koenma had set you up in. This one school, in particular, is so nice – you will just love it."

"Okay," I began, "it sounds great, but, I mean, you look worried. Is something wrong?"

"I don't know how similar our schools are compared to the schools you went to," she sipped her tea and her tone dropped into a murmur, "but you have to take an entrance exam."

My lips spread into a smile. Was that what she worried about – entrance exams? I can handle it. Besides, it was the least I could do for everything they done. Can't be too hard, right?

"An entrance exam is fine." I sipped my tea, "so when do I take it?"

"In five days."

I choked on my tea. Yusuke hurried around the table to smack me on the back. I coughed, spluttering for air and partly, because the slap practically knocked the air out of me. He put a little too much 'oomph' into the slap. After a minute, I regained my breathing and stared at Keiko.

"Five days! I-I thought I'd have longer – two weeks, at least!"

"Sorry kid, but like Keiko said, we only just remembered to get you in a school. At least, we were able to talk the principle into letting you take the test in such a short time." Yusuke crossed his arms, "well, she talked and I intimidated."

"I know it's a short time," she reached for my hand, "usually, these entrance exams are the toughest, because it really stresses kids out – not many pass the exams!" She was oblivious to the way my eyes were widening with each word. "Kids spend so much time preparing for these exams, but only so few get accepted –"

"Keiko," warned Yusuke, trying to cut her off.

I did not usually stress about tests, but if so few made it, then how could I? They did so much for me. They allowed me to live here, in this beautiful house. I had my own room. Nature was available to me at all times. I was living an amazing life – the least I could do was get into the school they picked for me. I did not want to let them down.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Karen, I was babbling," she apologized.

The thoughts whirled around in my head, shouting that I was doomed. I couldn't compete, but was I supposed to give up, say 'hey, sorry, I just can't do it' – hell no! Suddenly, my wayward thoughts vanished and I lifted my head in determination.

I will pass!

"No, it's okay," I reassured them and I knew it was the right thing to say once Keiko smiled. "I can do it."

Keiko beamed at me with pearly whites.

Yusuke patted me on the back, albeit more gently.

Hiei sipped his tea.

The clock ticked within the room, emphasizing the passing time, and that was when the panic slammed into my gut.

"_Help_," I screamed or squealed, which ever it was, it came out loudly. I never did have a pretty scream. It always came out like one of those silent screams, like when you laugh too hard and nothing comes out, just a soft, hissing, gasp-like cry. But, I'm sure if the situation called for it, I would be able to scream more properly.

Grabbing my arm, Keiko dragged me out of the kitchen while slinging her purse up her arm. Yusuke whipped his phone out and began punching buttons. Hurrying out the door, I jumped into the back seat and Yusuke floored the car down the driveway. I heard Hiei trailing behind us on the motorcycle.

"Kurama says he'll bring some books," Yusuke rambled, as he turned onto the highway.

"Great, Yusuke! Yukina said she has some of Genkai's history books." Leaning away from her phone, Keiko eyed Yusuke, "call Kuwabara."

Yusuke flashed her incredulous look, but he dialed anyways. "Hey, Kuwabara bring me some beer –"

"Yusuke," exclaimed Keiko.

"I was just kidding."

I smashed my head against the window, preparing my mind to be brutally torn apart with the overload of information I would soon be receiving.

Divine spirits help me.

* * *

Smoke filled her lungs and the nicotine coated her mouth. She let the smoke slip past her lips while she exhaled. Tapping her cigarette's ashes into the ashtray, she lifted a glass to her lips. The amber liquid burned her chest and blazed down into her stomach. The fire tasted nice. It relaxed her mind.

Smoke drifted up and swirled overhead. Glasses clinked, sloshing liquid onto the tables and floors. Loud laughter erupted about the room, interrupting the gentle singing of the woman upon the stage.

Finishing her cancer stick, she stood up and tossed a few bills onto the counter. She only came for a stiff drink and some music, but the crowded room was not her scene. A pity, she thought, because she rather liked the young woman's voice. Her songs were actually decent.

"Turning in already," asked the bartender.

Smirking, she replied with, "Afraid so. Not my night, I guess."

He nodded, wiping a cup, "yeah, see ya then."

She nodded.

Stepping out of the bar, cool air swept her hair back. She began walking down the sidewalk and then turned into an alley. Her car was parked near the end, but she didn't bother to walk all the way around, because it was simply easier to cut through the alley.

A bluish light illuminated the darken alley, but only in some places. Shadows still peaked around tin cans, bouncing off the walls and snaking onto the ground. She ignored the dark. Shadows did not scare her.

Her neck prickled and she glanced over her shoulder. The space was empty, a paper flying in the breeze and she narrowed her eyes. Studying the area a bit more, she shrugged and resumed walking.

Reaching into her purse, she searched for another cigarette when her pocket vibrated. Pulling her phone out, she pressed a button. The screen lit up her face and she smiled, reading the message. She pushed a few buttons, opening a new text box to reply when the air stilled around her. She stiffened, eyes widening.

The phone clattered to the ground and the screen glinted eerily.

A paper danced into the empty alley.


	10. An Unheard Whisper

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Ten- An Unheard Whisper

* * *

Shizuru's eyes flickered open, as a foul stench assaulted her nose. The odor was thick, staining the air and clogging her lungs. It smelled like garbage sitting in the sun too long, like the reek of body odor, and great many other putrid things.

Her throat was dry, terribly so, that even the very act of coughing, hurt. Shizuru's vision was hazy, a mix of bright dots in an inky blackness. Closing her eyes, she let her mind clear. Abruptly, the shadows beneath her eyelids soothed her and she allowed her mind to wander. And it all came back – she had been drugged, twice.

The bar had been rowdy, too crowded for her taste. The men were loud, faces red with mirth, and shirts stained yellow from spilt beer. The women had been just as worse with their opened blouses and red lipstick smeared onto glass rims. Digusting.

Music had been sung low, the voice husky and soft. She was a young girl with soft, blue eyes and pale, blonde hair. The kind of girl who did not belong in a bar and Shizuru often wondered why the girl had continued to come perform. She questioned why the girl continued to sing to the rowdy men who never listened or to the women who glared at her. The men only wanted to gaze upon the young girl's body. The women only wanted to hurl ugly words at the girl for capturing the men's attention.

Still, the young girl continued to sing. Her voice echoed into every corner of the bar, filling the room like a gentle caress. The voice strong and clear, seeming unusual, as the girl looked shy and timid. The young girl's voice had captured Shizuru, drawn her in until she came every week. Her voice was beautiful, even though it sounded awkward with the songs. The songs were horrible and without the girl's voice, Shizuru would have never stayed. Songs of cheap love and booze just didn't make a good song, but give it a good voice, and yeah, maybe you could capture a steady fan or two.

Although, she suspected that the poor girl did not have a choice in the material of the songs. Perhaps, it was because the owner, a fat, sweaty man, was sitting nearby and tapping his grubby fingers impatiently against the tabletop. Despite the appalling lyrics, the voice was a gift, which Shizuru alone seemed to enjoy in the bar. She alone, wouldn't let the voice go to waste.

However, the night had been ruined, because of the disgusting men and annoying women. She had tried to block it out, ignore them all and divert her attention to the music, but it was useless. Even the alcohol couldn't numb her brain enough to drown out the voices.

Shizuru remembered putting out her cigarette, dropping a bill onto the counter, and bidding the bartender farewell. She remembered the chill of the wind, a darkened alley, and being too damn lazy to walk around the alley. Walking straight through the passage instead of going around was much easier, she remembered thinking. After all, she had always been direct.

The shadows had been bouncing off the walls, stretching towards her. She ignored the chill, frightening gloom, and the slight whistle of the wind. Shizuru ignored the night, because the night was not scary. Shadows, as haunting as they seemed, were just the ghosts of images. How could darkness hurt you?

She remembered the hair on the back of her neck standing up. The sensation had prickled her skin and made her shiver, causing her to glance over her shoulder. Yet, Shizuru had seen nothing except for a piece of paper, fluttering in the wind. A lonely piece of paper, twisted and unadorned, much like her.

If Shizuru were to describe her looks and personality, the sentence would be too simple. Simple like the title of a book she had once read called, Sarah, Plain and Tall. Like Sarah, she was too plain and too tall. Her personality was a bore and her life predictable. A drag from her cigarette and a round of sake was all she needed, or so she thought.

Still, deep down, Shizuru wanted what her brother had, what Keiko had, and what Hiei now had. She wanted the love between Yukina and her brother. Shizuru wanted the easygoing relationship, like Yusuke and Keiko. She also wanted someone to be connected with her, like Hiei and Karen. Whether he knew it or not, he and Karen were in it together, even if he seemed to treat Karen as if she was the dirt on the bottom of his boot. Yet, even if she were forced to be bonded with someone, at least she would not be _alone_. Shizuru just wanted someone to be with, because loneliness, well, it was a sad burden.

Even so, that night the wind had caused a chill and she brushed the feeling off on too much booze. Shizuru's lungs had itched, calling forth for another cigarette and she obliged. Digging into her purse that night, she felt the small vibration of her phone. Cigarette forgotten, Shizuru pulled out the phone and pressed a button. A blue light flashed at her and illuminated a message.

_From: Lil bro_

_Sis, when ya coming home? Kina and I are going out. Don't stay out too long! Urameshi asked if ya can help Karen study. _

She smiled, remembering when her brother had to study for the entrance exam. Shizuru had forced him to read one book after another, much to his displeasure. Of course, that had been years ago. Her brother was a successful college student now, which she failed to respect sometimes. Shizuru needed to treat him better. She needed to treat him as an adult.

Opening a text box to reply, Shizuru felt pressure against her back and she stiffened. The air suddenly felt heavy and she could hear breathing near her ear, a deep ragged breathing. Shizuru's heart slammed into her rib cage so hard, that her hand shook. The phone slipped from her fingers and clattered to the ground. A growl rumbled behind her.

Quickly, she tried to think of a plan. Her senses were tingling and Shizuru knew the person behind her wasn't human. She could feel the distinct energy from her strange ability to perceive demonic and spiritual energy. She had always trusted her strange abilities.

Shizuru's fear eased away, as anger pushed forth, demanding that she attack. Clenching her fist, she prepared herself to whirl around and punch the demon. Before she could turn, something pricked her arm and her vision wavered. Instantly, numbness invaded her body and she fell forward. Laughter echoed in her ears, the only goodbye she received, once blackness overwhelmed the lights of the dirty alley.

Yes, she remembered that night. She also remembered waking up while being transported across town. Another shot and she was out.

However, she should be grateful that the drug was merely a mild sedative. Shizuru figured it was mild since they had to administer the drug to her twice in such a short time. At least, the drug had not damaged her too much. She was merely groggy.

Clothes rustling evaded her thoughts and she opened her eyes, vision much clearer. Shizuru took note of the dirt, stone, room. There were no windows and only a dim lamp above casted light. A metal, barred, door met her vision and her stomach lurched.

She was in a prison and she was not alone.

A dozen women occupied her cell and they were all huddled against the walls. Looking closer, she could see a few young girls. A few stared off into the distant, clothes hanging off their bodies, and dirt clung to every inch of skin. From the looks of these women, they had been around a while. Yet, some were staring around, confused as hell. Skin unmarred, hair merely tangled, and clothes still form fitting, they were just like her – recently captured.

Looking past their barred room, she saw another cell. Women and girls also occupied the other cell room. Straining her ears, she heard whimpers and whispers. She knew that past her cell, there were other cells, perhaps, dozens, and her stomach lurched – what sick evil was this?

Sitting up from the ground, Shizuru rolled the stiffness from her shoulders. She patted her pockets, but they were empty. She suspected as much.

Hanging her head and closing her eyes, Shizuru wondered if her brother or Yukina would notice her absence. No. Not right away at least. How many times had she yelled at her brother to mind his own business while she bounced from bar to bar, hiding her loneliness in smoke filled rooms, or a bottle of every kind of liquor known to men? How many times had she reminded him that she was old enough to do what the hell she wanted?

Every day, she had reminded him every day.

In her mind, she could see his eyes darting to the phone, waiting for her to call, always waiting. She could hear the worry in his voice, as he related his thoughts to Yukina, and the small woman was trying her best to calm the worried giant.

Yes, she thought. They would notice her absence, because her brother cared too much for his own damn good.

A slight tug on her arm jerked her away from whirling thoughts. Looking up, a small girl, of around five, smiled at her. Her black hair was slightly askew and her clothes a bit dirty, suggesting that she had just been recently captured.

The girl held out a hand and Shizuru glanced down. A piece of bread sat in the palm of the little girl's hand. Shizuru shook her head, but the girl pushed the moldy looking bread toward her with a determined gaze.

"No," denied Shizuru, "I'm not hungry."

The girl sighed and slipped the bread back into a tattered pocket.

"Can you," Shizuru licked her dry lips, "talk?"

The little girl frowned, her hazel eyes saddening. With a shake of her head, the girl ducked her eyes.

"But you understand me?"

The girl nodded.

"My name is Shizuru."

The girl tilted her head before kneeling down to trail a finger in the dirt. Shizuru watched while the little began scrawling away on the dirt.

"Naomi," read Shizuru.

Naomi nodded and sat down, managing to tuck her legs beneath her bottom, as only a child could accomplish.

"Is your," pausing, Shizuru wondered if she should voice her words. Shrugging, she continued, "is your mother here?"

Looking away, Naomi chewed her bottom lip and nodded. Before Shizuru could ask where her mother was, Naomi lifted a hand and pointed to the cell across the hall. Shizuru glanced over, eyes flickering past the various women. Finally, she spotted a woman against the wall, staring at them. She had Naomi's same shade of hair.

Before she even move, try to get as close as she can to speak to the woman, a door slammed open. Immediately, the dirtier looking women stiffened and shuffled away from the cell doors. Footsteps thudded, sounding odd from her position in the cell. With each thud, the whimpers began to rise and it frightened Shizuru.

Grabbing Shizuru's sleeve, Naomi whimpered to let the tall woman know that they had to hide. Shizuru frowned, not quite understanding, but heeded the girl's incessant tugs. Crawling after the girl, she opened her mouth to speak, but Naomi was shaking her head rather fervently.

The footsteps grew louder and tension filled the air, making Shizuru stiffen. Instinctively, Shizuru tucked Naomi behind her in an effort to shield the girl's body. Waiting with bated breath, Shizuru narrowed her eyes. A black boot stepped into view outside the cell and Shizuru's eyes widened, as a man came appeared.

He was tall, which was emphasized by the way his shoulders jutted out. A black hood covered his face, reminding her of an executioner. Yellow eyes gleamed within the eyeholes of his mask. In his right hand, he held a thick, black, whip.

"Time to play," he murmured threateningly.

The cell door opened slowly and the noise was ominous, hinges squeaking, like a dying mouse. Fear sank deep into her bones and she trembled. For the first time, Shizuru was truly afraid.

* * *

"Karen," called Yusuke, "lunch!"

I ignored Yusuke and continued to scan along the vertical columns, shifting through a book. I quickly turned the page, repeating the method. The same method I had been using for two days.

My pencil hovered above a sheet of paper, and then jerked downward, as I quickly scrawled some notes. The lead was scratching into the paper and clicking away. Neat symbols were forming. The intricate lines were curling and looping. Black markings filled the sheet and I quickly turned the sheet over to finish scrawling away.

From the corner of my eye, a small light reflected off metal. It was my clock revealing the time. It was small and red. It ticked away like a tiny bomb. I could see the hands moving and they weren't stopping. They never stopped. I hated time.

Every since I heard about the test, my eyes were always straying to the clock. I was always noting the time now, always counting down the time before the test, and always becoming more frustrated with the time each day. The clock was an evil invention. The clock was evil, because it recorded time. It was a doomsday countdown.

Failure was dancing around and driving away every shred of confidence I possessed. Disappointment was looming up ahead and itching to grab a hold of me. This catastrophe was going to swallow me whole. I wanted to pass, make Keiko and Yusuke happy, do the impossible, and rub it in Hiei's face.

But why was I stressing so much?

It was just a test. Tests weren't supposed to be so strenuous. Tests didn't make me frustrated, because I was always calm. Tests never laughed at me or mocked me. However, this particular test was and I hadn't even taken the damn thing.

Test, clocks, and stairs were going to be the death of me. I despised each of them, because they each caused pain. Stairs were painful, because I had fallen down them and bruised my back. Clocks were painful, because it didn't allow me to sleep. It hurt my ears. It wouldn't stop ticking. Tests were painful because I had to study, hunch over books, and try to cram the Tree of Knowledge into my head.

My neck hurt from leaning down to read. My butt hurt from sitting in a hard chair. My hand hurt from writing too much. Now my head was hurting from overthinking.

Studying was torture.

"Karen," bellowed Yusuke from somewhere down below, "lunch!"

And Yusuke was always interrupting me with food – how can I eat will all this stress?

-Flashback-

The door slammed open and I didn't bother turning around. I had two books to scan through before moving onto another subject. I couldn't waste any time!

"Karen," warned Yusuke, as he crossed the room.

I was oblivious to his warning tone. In fact, he could have started yelling and I would continue like the perfect scholar. "I've got two more books to go through," I stated without looking up, "and then I'll finally be done with the feudal period."

"I called your name four times, you know," began Yusuke. If I was not so intent on studying, I might've saw the maniac gleam in his eyes. "Four times," he repeated, "for lunch. So now I'm making this the last and final time – come eat."

"No way," I snorted while sharpening my pencil, "Yusuke, you know I have a deadline!" A deadline that was fast approaching, "and Kurama's coming over today to quiz me on the feudal period of Japan –"

"Downstairs, now, Karen."

"But, I ate this morning!" And what a meal it had been! "Look, I can't stop – Kuwabara's coming over tomorrow to go over my grammar and –"

Yusuke narrowed his eyes, "this morning was a long time ago. It's lunchtime. Eat."

I was still talking, practically babbling, "and he's great with grammar, something I really struggle with –"

"Karen, I said eat!" To capture my attention further, he insulted me, "you're too," he hissed out the last word, "_skinny!"_

I reeled back with a loud gasp. Actually, I was expecting a better insult and had over prepared for it. However, I did cross my arms to reply hotly, "Yusuke, that was very rude, you know!"

It was the last straw. He had had enough. Wrapping an arm around me, he attempted to drag me out of the room. I had reacted just as fast by clutching the bottom of the seat. I was ready to laugh in victory until he wrapped both arms around the chair and me. Trapped within his arms, he proceeded to stomp out of the room – chair and all.

"Stop this, right now," I insisted. When that didn't work, I used my last card, "Keiko!"

He threw his head back to laugh insanely. Once the laughter died down, he sang eerily, "she's not here."

"No-o-o," I wailed.

-End of Flashback-

Since Keiko was away most of the day for her own exams, Yusuke was in charge. He forced me to take breaks and drink tea. I had to eat all three meals. He even tried to make me take naps, but I put my foot down on that ridiculous demand. Damn, I was not a kid!

At least Keiko wasn't as forceful – not to say she wasn't scary when she was mad, but she didn't haul me around like Yusuke. She always made time for me too, by helping with math. She was great with numbers and equations. Sometimes, I stumbled over certain equations and she would explain the solution patiently. I think she would have made a great math professor.

Another great thing about Keiko was that she was an excellent cook. Yusuke cooked too, but most of the time, it wasn't edible. He always cooked so loudly, too. Sometimes, I would hear pots banging in the kitchen, dishes breaking, and utensils clattering. It was kind of frightening.

"Karen," called Yusuke. Then, he seemed to lower his voice, implying a secret message, _"Karen, don't make me come up there."_

Yusuke was kind of frightening.

* * *

Yusuke grinned victoriously while he admired his work. Upon a platter, sat an army of huge, rice balls and the sight of them caused his grin to widen.

Hearing a chuckled, Yusuke raised an eyebrow, "what?"

Kurama eyed all the pots and pans scattered along the counters. Drawers were opened, silverware scattered, dishes cluttered the floor, and the outcome of Yusuke's product – rice balls. How on earth did he manage to make a mess with mere rice balls?

"Oh, nothing," replied Kurama.

"Kurama, I know you," snorted Yusuke and he crossed his arms, "go on and spit out your crafty insults."

"No insults," the red head held up a hand, "but, I just wondered how you could cause such disorder from making rice balls?" Laughing in amusement, he continued, "I don't recall one needing half those pots or utensils for rice balls."

Finally noticing the mess, Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck, "guess I got carried away."

Kurama smiled, saying, "yes, and nevertheless, in your lovely apron."

Yusuke yanked his apron off and hurled it at Kurama. Laughing openly, Kurama easily caught the apron with a hand.

Ignoring his friend's laughter, Yusuke opened the back door and yelled, "HIEI!"

Yusuke waited to give the demon time to respond, but after two minutes, he didn't sense the demon's approaching energy. Shrugging, Yusuke grabbed the platter of rice balls and set it upon the table, where it was set up rather nicely, thanks to Kurama's experienced hand.

"Thanks for the bringing the sushi, Kurama, because without it, we would've just had rice balls. Although," Yusuke puffed his chest out proudly, "I made some pretty good rice balls. This cooking thing is getting easy."

Kurama shook his head as he stepped around some pans. "No more cereal for Karen?"

Rolling his eyes, Yusuke took some cups out of the cabinet. "Just because Botan blew up about that cereal business doesn't mean you should keep bringing it up," chided Yusuke. "I've been cooking for her, you know, I'm being _parental _– kind of fun, actually. It gives me something to do…butIwish she'd eat more. Since we mentioned the exam, Karen's become obsessed with that test."

Sitting down, Kurama glanced at Yusuke. He saw worry in the Mazoku's eyes and the fox demon smiled, thinking, _Koenma made the right choice in placing Karen in Yusuke and Keiko's care._

"I believe," Kurama folded the apron and placed it on the table, "she's trying not to disappoint you two."

Yusuke frowned, "disappoint, why, what's there to disappoint? She's a good kid. If she doesn't pass, well, we can send her to the other public school that I picked out." He laughed suddenly, as he thought of the other school, "she won't even have to take a test for that one! It's all settled there."

Leaning back in his chair, Kurama raised an eyebrow, "have you mentioned this to Karen?"

"No," Yusuke rubbed his neck, "but Keiko was going on and on about what a great school _she_ had picked out and blah, blah, Yusuke you're a jerk if you won't take this seriously stuff," he glanced away, "so, the entrance exam it is."

"And where is this scholar, hm," asked Kurama.

"Studying, again," he grumbled. Then, Yusuke's voice was booming through the house, as only a parent's voice could do, "_Karen, don't make me come up there_!" Waiting a moment, he growled, "man, what's up with this household? No one ever comes when I yell and that jerk, he's just as stubborn. I'm putting in some honest effort here!"

Kurama glanced out the window, "by the way, how are he and Karen doing?"

Yusuke rolled a shoulder, "haven't seen them hanging around lately… over a month, actually. I figured Hiei would be dragging her around, trying to expand that bond thingy, but I don't know – think they been fighting or something."

"How long has this been going on?"

"What – them ignoring each other," Kurama nodded and Yusuke narrowed his eyes, thinking, "well, they see each other now and then, but ever since we mentioned the test, Karen sticks to the books. Geeze, everything started with that test. I think I should talk to Keiko, maybe bribe her into just sending Karen to that other school."

"Yusuke," Kurama voiced out, trying to bring Yusuke back from his babbling. "So it's been awhile since they've bonded, right?"

"Yeah, why," after a moment, his eyes widened, "that's right – it makes them sick! Didn't it take like a week of ignoring each other before they got sick though? I guess the bond got a little stronger or something." Narrowing his eyes, Yusuke tried to think of a solution. "Well, I can't have Karen fainting on me or Keiko will freak out and right now, I can't have two women freaking out, because it's bad enough with Karen worrying over that test." He pinned Kurama with a curious gaze, "I could try and get them together, do something for a few hours, what do you think?"

"I'm not sure." Kurama lifted a hand and placed it under his chin. "Hiei's going to be hard to convince."

"I hate problems." Yusuke mumbled while placing his hands behind his head. Hearing footsteps, he turned in his seat.

"Hm, I presume we'll discuss this matter later then?" asked Kurama.

Yusuke nodded and the two men hushed. The screen slid open and Yusuke grinned in amusement, as Karen peeked inside the room.

"Bout' time, kid," Yusuke remarked, "quit stalling. I didn't burn anything."

Kurama watched Karen sink into the nearest chair and chuckled quietly when she stared incredulously at the food Yusuke was piling onto her plate. She opened her mouth to protest, but Yusuke merely glared, and in punishment, shoved a couple of more monstrous-sized rice balls onto her plate.

"Eat all of it," Yusuke commanded, as he turned to fix his own plate, "studying can wait."

"I'm telling Keiko," she muttered darkly while picking up a rice ball. She had to use two hands to hold it.

Yusuke raised a brow, "what was that?"

"Nothing," she replied quickly.

"That's what I thought," replied the detective, then, "so Kurama, how's your mom?"

* * *

Kuwabara stared at the screen of his phone, waiting for a call, and hoping for some kind of message. His eyes willed the screen to come alive, to show the name he was waiting to see, but there was nothing. Three days and no answer. No call. No voice mail. No message.

He was worried.

Yes, his sister was old enough, as she reminded him constantly, to stay out all night. However, he couldn't help but worry for her safety. She was his only family. Even though she was older than him, he felt protective of her. He'd always felt protective of her and his friends. It was his nature.

She hadn't been home for three days, which was unusual. He called her phone numerous times, but only caught her voice message. He checked the bars, her usual spots, but it was the same answer every time.

"_Sorry – there's no one by that description, sir."_

"_Nope, she hasn't been around in a while."_

"_Did you check the other bar down the street?"_

No one had seen her.

He saw movement in the corner of his eye and turned his head. His lips lifted into a small smile, a forced effort in his current state, but he'd always smile for her. Soft, crimson eyes stared with worry.

"Yukina –"

Yukina cut him off with her words, "Kazuma, I think you should tell them."

Kuwabara sighed and let his head fall into his hands. "I don't want to bother them," wringing his hands, he murmured, "Yusuke's busy with Karen. Kurama's busy. Hiei won't bother. I'll check again and if I don't find her, well, then I'll tell them."

The bed shifted a bit, as Yukina settled beside him. She wrapped her small arms around him and rested her head on his large shoulder.

"Kazuma, don't take this burden upon yourself," wanting to comfort him, Yukina rubbed his back, "they are our friends."

Bringing a hand up, he pinched the bridge of his nose, "you're right, you're right."

Shifting through his contact list, he pushed a button and lifted the phone to his ear. He felt Yukina's cool hand slip into his bigger hand and the gentle act caused his shoulders to relax.

The dial tone lifted.

"Kuwabara," answered a groggy voice, "what the hell, it's," the man paused to check something, "five o' clock in the morning."

Kuwabara winced from his friend's loud voice, "sorry, Urameshi."

There was slight pause and some rustling from the other end. Kuwabara heard Keiko's quiet voice and almost immediately, Yusuke was hushing her with a gentle shush.

"Kuwabara," he could almost hear the concern in Yusuke's voice, "what's up, man?"

"Shizuru," muttered Kuwabara, "she's missing."

Silence.

"I'm on my way."

Click.

Hanging up, Kuwabara turned to Yukina. "He's coming."

"I'll make breakfast."

* * *

Knock, knock.

"Karen?"

"Come in," I called out while tying my shoe.

Keiko waltzed inside and settled onto the bed, straightening the blanket as she did so. Silently, I continued tying my shoe.

"Yusuke's just concerned," she murmured, "you know."

I frowned, recalling Yusuke loading the books, papers, and pencils into the car. Locking my things in the trunk, he 'officially' grounded me from studying. I had to be the first person ever to be grounded from studying.

Sighing, I replied, "yeah, but did he have to take my pencil sharpener too? How can I use the sharpener if he took my pencils, anyways?"

She shook her head and patted my shoulder, "I'd talked to him, but even I can't persuade him to change his mind sometimes." Smoothing back some of my hair, she smiled. "He will give them back tomorrow."

"Keiko," I mumbled, glancing at the clock, "do I _have_ to go with Hiei?" I turned to her, trying to make puppy eyes but failed, merely squinting instead.

"Of course you do," answered a voice.

We both turned toward the door and spotted Yusuke. He was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, and face stern. I pouted, making a last attempt to persuade Yusuke, but he remained unaffected. I needed to work on my puppy eyes.

"_Keiko,_" I pleaded.

Yusuke snorted and pushed away from the doorway. "Don't you try changing Keiko's mind. It's for the best and you know it."

Sighing, I smiled as Keiko kissed my forehead. Heading out of my room, I passed by a frowning Yusuke. To some extent, the puppy eyes did soften his grouchy demeanor, because he ruffled my hair and I flashed a small smile.

I slouched down the stairs, somewhat glumly. Even though I was walking, I managed to stumble over the last step. Wind milling my arms, I fought against gravity and this time, I won. After a moment, I brushed a hand across my forehead and exhaled in relief, having avoided a scuffle with the floor. I could have walked away with what little pride I held, but it was ruined by a snippet grunt.

Seated on the couch was none other than Hiei and as always, he was around to witness my most embarrassing moments. He stared at me for a moment, but then he was glancing away, seemingly unconcerned from my near fall. Against his ear, he held a phone, but he wasn't speaking. Curiously, I wonder who was on the other end.

Ducking my head, I walked past him. I felt the familiar heat at my neck and it caused me to put an extra zip in my step. Heading outside, I breathed in the evening air and relished the crisp breeze. A few crickets chirped, creating a bizarre melody. Turning my head, I glanced past the trees.

The sun was slowly sinking. Rays of light began to fade and the shadows stretched into fingers. A mixture of colors twirled in the sky, bleeding into one another. Inspecting closer, I could make out a few pinpoints. The stars were already appearing to say a playful hello.

"– and make sure she wears the helmet," warned Keiko, uncaring if Hiei was a rather rude demon.

Hearing footsteps, I barely managed to step out of the way, as Hiei stepped outside.

"So no luck for Kurama either, huh?" Yusuke stated while he escorted Keiko to the car.

"Hn," answered Hiei in his consent.

"Well, we'll be on the other side of town."

I looked from Yusuke to Hiei, wondering what they were talking about, but they effectively ended the conversation. Glancing at Keiko, there was a brief flash of concern in her eyes, and then it was gone, replaced with a hurried smile. I wanted to ask what was wrong and if there was anything, I could do to help, because surely, something was amiss, but _he _disrupted my musings.

Hiei's familiar growl captured my attention. He was already seated upon his bike and clearly waiting for me to join him. Taking a deep breath, necessary to calm my frazzled nerves and give extra strength, I crossed over to him. Nearing the bike, I stopped, not sure about the idea of seeing a movie with him anymore.

When I refused to come closer, he growled again. The sunset was setting, because his shades were gleaming, but no, it was his eyes, burning behind them! Nervously, I glanced back over my shoulder, ready to beg Yusuke for a reprieve from this punishment, but they were already seated in the car.

"Hurry up," seethed Hiei.

Biting my lip, I moved closer until my leg brushed against the bike. He quickly shoved a black helmet in my view and I grasped it. Knowing Keiko, she was probably waiting for me to slip the helmet on, because we can't have Karen damage her head now, can we? No, no, just send her with Hiei so he can hurt her instead.

Sighing, I slipped on the helmet. For some reason, I couldn't get the tiny, black, strap to lock properly. Frustration began to surface as the strap kept slipping from my fingers. Gritting my teeth, I tried again. There was a sharp whack and it echoed loudly in the helmet. Narrowing my eyes, I glared at Hiei, because he had hit the helmet rudely. With a tensed jaw, Hiei grabbed the chinstrap roughly and jerked me forward. Hurriedly, he snapped the strap in place. The task done, he turned back and gripped the bike's handlebars with clenched hands.

Climbing behind him, I straddled the bike and placed shaky arms around him. A split second later, Hiei revved the bike to life and shot forward. Reaching the end of the dirt road, he turned sharply onto the main road. I smashed my face into his back, hating the way everything blurred past us.

I'm not sure how much time had passed, but my eyes had remained close the entire ride. I wasn't planning on opening my eyes, at least, until he had slowed down. So, there I sat, clutching him and awaiting the horrid ride to end. Finally, the roar died down and I relaxed. Lifting my head, I looked over and rested my cheek against his warm back.

Street lamps glowed against the evening sky, casting bright circles in random places. People still littered the sidewalks, heading home or finishing their shopping. Bright lights glowed from within store windows, illuminating the merchandise. Laughter made its way to my ear and I turned, spotting a small family loading a car with bags. I smiled, seeing a little girl twirling a sparkly baton in her hands.

Turning at a street light, Hiei continued down the street. A few restaurants brushed past us and I could see couples laughing, as they stuffed their faces. Soon, a flashing board caught my attention. My eyes widened, as movie titles winked back at me.

Suddenly excited, I hopped off the moment Hiei parked. Crowds of people shuffled past us, heading towards a ticket booth. Sniffing, I could already smell buttery popcorn! I had been to the movies last year, a nice sixteenth birthday, but that had been the only time. Still, I enjoyed the experience of watching a movie across such a huge screen.

Before I could dwell on the movie titles, Hiei was yanking my head back toward him. Dipping his head, Hiei peered at the chinstrap. Lifting my hands, I pushed against him.

"Keep still."

"I can do it," I squeaked, but even so, I was already stiffening.

He seemed to have trouble seeing while standing there trying to undo the strap. "You're too damn short."

"I'm not short." I protested. I was ready to say, 'I'm 5'5", you jerk', but refrained.

He growled and cupped the side of my neck to push my chin up with his thumb. I flinched, remembering the times he would do this and how his thumb would press too hard, or his fingers would dig into my neck. But, he seemed to sense my fear, because he turned his hand over to brush the back of his knuckles along my neck in a soothing way. A shiver danced through me as his hand kept up the gentle gesture until I closed my eyes. My pulse throbbed as he slowly repeated his actions earlier to tilt my head up. His thumb skimmed up my throat and heat followed his touch. His thumb was moving in a lazy circle. I almost purred at the sensation. It felt really, really, nice – there was a soft click and the strap released.

Opening my eyes, I quickly yanked the helmet off and set the helmet upon the handlebars. I took a deep breath and glanced at him, but he was looking away. His face registered nothing of what had happened while mine was probably a bright red. I forced myself to forget that odd, wonderful moment. It was gone anyways.

"Um," I cleared my throat, "won't someone take the bike?"

Without answering, Hiei whipped off his glasses and strode forward. Huffing, I set off after him, practically skipping just to keep up. Why was he always in such a hurry?

Catching up, we stood in line. I studied Hiei, watching as his face twisted in a scowl. He didn't seem to like crowds. Briefly, I wondered how Yusuke convinced him to attend the movies. He did not seem like the movie kind of guy. Actually, he did not seem like any kind of type.

"Movie," boomed a feminine voice and I jumped in surprise.

"Uh," I glanced over at Hiei, but his eyes were closed. Figuring that he wasn't going to choose, I quickly skimmed over the movie titles. "Tick, Tock."

The woman behind the plastic screen glanced. "For two?" she asked hesitantly.

I jerked my head into a nod. Printing up two tickets, she called out the price. I reached for my yen, but Hiei shoved the amount to her and grabbed the tickets. Turning, he quickly marched over to the theater doors. I stared blankly after him.

"Hurry up," he barked for the second time and this time, rather rudely.

Glaring at his back, I jogged behind him, "you can't just keep bossing me around!"

"Shut up."

I ignored his rude words and demanded snacks. "Well, I want popcorn, a soda, and some candy –"

"What makes you think –"

"– and I'm going to eat it all in front of you," I continued amidst the stares of the crowd, "and it will be delicious!"

"Get it yourself," and with that, he marched into the theater.

"I was planning, too." I mumbled with a glare. Sighing, I turned with my arms crossed. "I didn't want to watch the movie anyways."

Taking a step, I was ready to walk away until he reached out and dragged me inside. People raised curious brows and then shook their heads, all thinking the same.

Silly lover spats.


	11. Butterfly Kiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Eleven- Butterfly Kiss

* * *

"Hn."

Shifting a glance at Hiei, I raised an eyebrow, "what?"

He glanced at the items within my arms, which consisted of a tub of popcorn, box of candy, and jumbo-sized soda. I ducked my eyes in embarrassment.

"I told you I was hungry…"

Heading down a narrow hallway, I followed him. The lights slowly dimmed to announce the starting movie. Bumping into Hiei's back, a few kernels tumbled out of the tub and rolled onto the floor. Hiei ignored the mess and moved quickly, choosing to sit in the very back.

I chewed on my lip, considering my options. My first option was to find somewhere else to sit and enjoy these delicious snacks in peace. The other option was to sit by him and listen to him grunt through the entire movie. I weighed the options, but already, I was shuffling down the row. Nearing him, I now faced another dilemma. The whole back row was empty with seats available on either side of him. I glanced at the seat next to him.

Should I sit right _next_ to him?

My throat began to itch and I lifted the soda up to take a sip. The coke tasted refreshing!

Or should I sit elsewhere?

The screen behind me glowed brightly and a loud voice boomed, introducing the title of the film. I took a long sip and whirled around, seating myself right _next _to him. After all, I must make amends.

A quarter of the way into the movie, I clutched the tub of popcorn. My eyes shifted sideways, taking in Hiei's form. His arms were crossed over his chest, back rim-rod straight, and face masked of emotions.

"Popcorn," I offered.

I expected him to just remain glaring or grunt in annoyance, but at least I was offering, because he did pay for it (I was surprise he did so – even if he practically slammed the money on the counter and everyone stared at us). Slowly, his hand dipped into the bucket, seeming unsure as to the texture. He pulled a handful out and peered at the yellow puffs with narrowed eyes.

I grabbed another handful and tossed the popcorn into my mouth. Then, he grabbed a kernel from the kernels in his hand. I was already munching through another handful, trying to show him the popcorn was not poison. It was delicious. Flashing me another glare, he popped the kernel into his mouth and chewed slowly. I turned away, as he ate the rest of the popcorn from his hand. A few minutes passed and he reached back into the tub to grab another helping.

The salty popcorn made me thirsty and I quickly drank from my straw. Glancing back at him slyly, I noticed his jaw moving while he chewed and it gave me an idea. Setting the drink into the cup holder, I placed the tub into his lap.

"I'll be right back!"

Rushing down the row, I wandered back to the main lobby. A bored teen with glasses and short, black hair stared at me, as I approached the concession stand.

"May I help you," his hazel eyes glittered behind the wired frames.

"Yes, the water bottle, please," I asked while pointing at a water bottle.

He gave a loud sigh and inched over to the cooler. Pausing to pick up a napkin from the ground, he slowly turned and walked over to the trashcan. I glanced at my watch, noting how much time had passed. Turning back, he heading for the bottles, only to stop and adjust some cups. I sighed loudly, hoping he would hear and hurry up. Finally reaching the cooler, he opened the door and trailed his finger down the row of various bottles.

"What brand of water?"

"It doesn't matter," I checked my watch again.

"Some are different," he pushed his glasses up, "they have distinct tastes."

"Um, I don't know – just pick one."

Pointing at the bottles, he began listing the brands. "We have Osani, Clearo, Burst, Aquius, Kissed..."

Hanging my head, I waited until he finished naming all the titles, which surprisingly, took a good five minutes.

"So, which one," he asked with an innocent expression, as if he hadn't just spent five minutes talking about water.

I sighed out, "the last one you mentioned."

"Was that Ocean or –"

I tried to remember the brands, but could only think of one, "Kissed."

"But that wasn't what I mentioned last," he murmured.

Groaning inwardly, I said politely, "yes, well, I changed my mind. I think that brand is… nice."

Shrugging, he grabbed the pink bottle. Inching back toward me, he placed the bright, pink bottle on the counter. His fingers hovered over the cash register buttons. Mumbling to himself, he searched for the price listing. Glancing at his nametag, I silently read the name, 'Kenji Moto'. Drumming my fingers on the counter top, I watched while he continued to search for the right button.

"Uh, here," I placed some yen onto the counter, not bothering to count it out, "keep the change!"

Grabbing the bottle, I flashed him a quick smile and jogged back to the movie room. I yanked the door open and blinked from the sudden darkness. My eyes adjusted and I hurried down the back row.

Plopping beside Hiei, I placed the pink bottle in his lap. "Here," I said, not bothering to elaborate why I bought him water.

Grabbing the tub of popcorn back, I noticed it was half way empty. I shrugged and shoved some popcorn into my mouth, relishing the buttery taste.

_A blonde haired woman trembled. She skimmed along the hallway, her white skin glowing against the darkness. A cry left her lips, as she stumbled. _

I gripped the tub closer to me, smashing the tub against my chest in a death grip.

_Footsteps thudded and she began scrambling away. Running now, she glanced over her shoulder with wide, frightened eyes. Her dirty hair hung in greasy strings, swinging around her face while she ran. Suddenly, she tripped._

Dipping my hand inside the tub, I smashed more popcorn into my mouth.

_She remained frozen on the ground with her legs sprawled out. The footsteps stopped and an eerie silence filled the darken hallway._

_Then, out of the darkness, a paper ball rolled towards her. She stared at it, her body shaking. Slowly, she reached forward and picked up the crumpled piece of paper. Unfolding the paper, her eyes widened and creepy music filled the room._

_"__Tick, tock," she whisper right when the hallway exploded._

The explosion startled me and my hand jerked, sending a bit of popcorn into the air. Hiei growled, as the kernels landed in his lap and hair. I smiled sheepishly at him and picked a few kernels out of his hair.

"Sorry," I replied with a nervous laugh.

Calming my erratic heart, I soon felt a familiar sensation in my lower abdomen. Tossing the tub into Hiei's lap again, I jumped to my feet.

"Restroom," I whispered fiercely.

Dashing back out into the hallway, I quickly entered the restroom. Once done, I exited the room and leaned outside the door feeling relieved. My head rested against the wall and I sighed. Turning, I could see out into the lobby and past the movie entrance.

The street lamps glowed brightly against the black of night. In the window reflections, I saw a few employees cleaning the concession stand. Smiling, I turned to go back when I saw a tall, brunette woman walk past the theater. Squinting, I took in her facial features and smiled.

"Shizuru," I mumbled while pushing away from the door.

Hurrying across the lobby, I threw open the movie theater door. The cool, night, air brushed against my skin. Looking left, I saw Shizuru farther down the sidewalk. I started after her with a grin.

"Shizuru," I waved a hand, but she didn't acknowledge me.

Her long brown hair swished in the wind when she rounded a corner. Sprinting quickly, I flew around the corner and hurried behind her, but her long legs carried her farther. With a huff of air, I made a grab for her arm.

"Shizuru, hey, I –"

She whirled around and I started to smile at her, but a strange feeling made me shiver. Shizuru's normally bright, brown eyes seemed dull and glazed over. Tanned skin was now insipid, making her freckles stand out a bit. Once reddened lips were now pale and stretched into a thin frown. She looked lost.

"Shizuru, I'm sorry for bothering you, but I-I just," I was stuttering now, as those horribly empty eyes peered down at me, "haven't seen you in a while."

"Yes," she began, "it has been awhile."

Shizuru's voice sounded flat compared to the normal soft husk of her voice. The words were bitter and there was no emotion whatsoever. I tried flashing a smile, in the hopes that it enlightened the mood, but she unperturbed by the dullness.

"Well, I should get back," swallowing, I shuffled toward the theater, unsure if she really wanted to talk.

"Karen, forgive my attitude," she flashed a fake smile, "but I haven't been feeling well. I think it's a cold."

"Oh," I exclaimed, as I finally caught on, "well, are you heading home, because Keiko tells me that you shouldn't be out when you have a cold." I jokingly scolded, "in fact, you should be in bed."

"Yes, I shouldn't. I was actually headed to my car." She smiled again and I couldn't help but noticed how forced it seemed. "It's just down there," she pointed over her shoulder, "will you walk me back to my car?"

Shizuru was my friend, a good friend, and if any of them asked for help, then help I would. Besides, she seemed alone and Keiko wouldn't like it if I refused Shizuru's request. Nodding my head, I watched her lips form into a small smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. Turning, she walked out into the empty parking lot. I followed, walking calmly beside her. Taking my phone out, I glanced at the screen and winced. Fifteen minutes had already gone by and Hiei was bound to get worried, if not, then he had probably already chomped through all the popcorn.

Opening up my contact list, Hiei's name flashed at the top of the screen. Frowning, I wondered about calling him, because I'm sure he would never worry. However, it was probably impolite to be gone this long without alerting him. I'd try texting, but I wasn't sure Yusuke or Keiko had bought texts for the phone. Sighing, I pressed the call button. After all, it was better to be safe than sorry.

The dial tone lifted and immediately he growled.

"Hiei –"

"_Where are you?"_ I instantly flinched at his menacing tone.

"Funny thing, you see, I ran into Shizuru," nervously, I hurried on before he could cut me off with another annoyed growl, "and I'll only be another minute – just walking her out to her car, that's all –"

Click.

I silently curse Hiei's rude manners. I didn't do anything wrong. I was merely walking a friend out to her car, but Hiei had to go treating me rudely for the act of kindness. Glaring at the screen, I contemplated on calling him back and tell him just how rude he was, but it was snatched from my hand.

"Shizuru," I stared at her in disbelief, "why –"

"Who," she towered over me, her eyes wild, "who was that?"

"I –"

"_Who,_" the sudden scream had me flying back and I crashed onto the pavement.

"It was Hiei! Shizuru, I don't understand, what's wrong –"

She spun around, hair flying, and hand clenching the phone in a deathly grip that I thought I heard a button creak. Mumbling, she raised a hand up to her head and grabbed at the strands. She was pacing now, like a stalking lion, and with every step, she hissed words at herself.

Something was horribly wrong and I had known it the moment we met, and even so, I had gone with her into the empty parking lot. I almost didn't know this woman, because the Shizuru I knew was not this mad, sick woman. Yet, I couldn't help but reach for her, needing to help this nervous wreck of a friend.

"Shizuru," I stood slowly and licked my lips, "what's wrong? You have to tell me what's wrong or I can't help you."

"No," she wailed and the sound pierced my heart, "I can't control it, I can't."

I didn't know what she meant, but I shushed her anyways, "it's alright. Here, let's just get to your car, okay –"

"NO," the sudden admission had her whirling around and shuffling away, as if I had attacked her. She was mad, had to be, but when her eyes flew up to mine, they were clear and a_live._ "Stay away, you have to stay away!"

Then she bolted. Automatically, I ran after her with the urgency to help her, because she was my friend, because she needed help, and because there was something very wrong here!

"Shizuru, SHIZURU," I cursed as her long legs carried her further away.

The light of streetlamps was fading and she was rapidly approaching the edge of the parking lot, where darkness hovered. Sucking in air, I readied myself to head into the chaos of darkness, and as the air filled my legs, it flew out, like air escaping a popped balloon, once an arm wrapped around my waist. A familiar tingle swept through me and it was the recognition of the warmth that kept me from screaming in alarm. Hiei whirled me around and my wide eyes met his heated gaze.

"_What do you think you are doing," _he roughly grabbed my upper arms to shake me once. My head snapped back and my set of teeth clamped together. I almost bit my tongue.

In my mind, I was slightly surprise at how many words he had uttered in that sentence. I opened my mouth to tell him of Shizuru's madness, but the action, and perhaps the chase for Shizuru, had winded me until my lungs ached. Quickly, I searched my pockets for my inhaler, desperate to soothe the overworked lungs, but where was it?

With a growl, Hiei's hand plunged into my back pocket and yanked out the inhaler. I blushed from the contact of his hand against my rear end. I was ready to call him a pervert or something along those lines until he shoved the inhaler into my face. Snatching the device, I took two quick puffs.

"Hiei," I choked out after the second puff," Shizuru, she – she's mad or something, sick in the head and s-she went out there," I pointed out into the darkness with my inhaler, "to her car and I was supposed to take her to her car –"

Near the end of my sentence, his eyes widened and something burned within them, something strangely different from anger. Immediately, he placed a hand on my shoulder and shoved me away. Normally, I'd call him rude, but the heat had flared up. _He was angry_.

"Stay here," he demanded, not even bothering to glance at me, and instead glared out into the darkness.

"But, Hiei –"

His head whipped around and sent the rest of my sentence shooting down into the pit of my belly. Crimson eyes were narrowed, glowing eerily, and it was a message for me to heed his command. I hadn't seen that look since he chased me through town and had forgotten how intimidating the threat of his eyes could appear. Swallowing, I closed my mouth and stepped away. Without another word, he blurred away into the night.

I was left to shuffle oddly beneath a streetlamp. It was nerve-racking to be left out here, alone, in the dark, physically and mentally. Thoughts were racing and in an attempt to sooth the frazzled nerves, I searched for my phone. When the device was nowhere to be found, I slapped a hand to my forehead, because Shizuru had never handed it back. There was nothing left to do, but pace, and pace I did, as my thoughts buzzed randomly: why did she take my phone, what the hell is going on, how did the movie end, is Hiei going to come back, someone answer these questions, because I'm going mad –

And of course, Hiei had to choose that moment to appear in front of me. I nearly screamed, but managed to choke it down. I was so frazzled, freaked out, that I wanted to hug him, but I wouldn't. I wasn't looking to die anytime soon. Instead, I reached out, needing to touch him for some reason, and settled for tugging the front of his shirt.

"Hiei," I stared up at him, because there was so much I wanted to ask, but where do I start?

His eyes flickered over me – eyes, face, lips, body, and eyes again – and it left me feeling slightly woozy. Apparently, he found nothing interesting, because he closed his eyes. Then, his hand dipped into his pocket to pull out my phone. I stared at the device, as he placed it in my hand, and a normal teen would have been pleased to have one's phone back, but I could care less. After all, I went without one for nearly seventeen years.

"Hiei, what about –"

He wasn't in the mood talk. I should have known. He never answered my questions anyway. So it was no surprise when he wrapped his hand around my wrist to drag me down a narrow side street. I hurried in his wake, skipping just to keep up, and he should slow down, but Hiei wasn't that considerate.

A sense of déjà vu overcame me, as Hiei's hand released my wrist, and wrapped around my hand. He did this, once, and it seemed such a long time ago. I almost jerked away because of the memory, but his grip was light. I was mesmerized at the feeling of his lean fingers curved around my hand. And like before, when he had held my hand long ago, I glanced up at his face. To passersby (the groups of teens and couples shuffling past the movie theater), he'd look like any relaxed man, clearly enjoying a night out on the town. But I knew better. At least, he had slowed down to match my slower pace.

We didn't go back to the theater. I would never know how the movie ended. Instead, we headed toward his motorcycle. I was itching to ask him about Shizuru (did she make it back okay?), but he was intent on leaving. His intentions were rather evident with the way he smashed the helmet onto my head. Not caring that he perhaps hurt my head, he proceeded to snap the clasp into place. Then, he was straddling the bike and the anger was still rolling off him in waves. I hurried to wrap my arms around him to keep from adding to his anger.

Sadly, I thought of Shizuru, as we sped away from the theater.

* * *

"What about that Blue Moon place?" asked Yusuke, "that one of her scenes?"

Ducking his head, Kuwabara peered out the window and nodded, "yeah, it's one of her places."

Yusuke quickly parked and turned the ignition off. Nothing was said between the two men. To Yusuke, the silence was odd and tense. He waited for Kuwabara to say something rude or to guffaw about something, but he just sat there, slouched in his seat, and staring numbly out the window.

"Shizuru's a tough chick," Yusuke muttered after clearing his throat. Then, he slapped his hand on Kuwabara's shoulder, his only attempt to comfort him, "we'll find her."

Kuwabara grunted.

"Damn," Yusuke forced out a laugh, anything to rile up his friend, "don't go all Hiei on me now."

"Whatever, Urameshi," and good, there's the Kuwabara he knew, coming back with his grumbles, "I thought you didn't _swear_ anymore. You cuss mouth."

Yusuke snorted, "I said I wouldn't cuss around Karen."

"She's seventeen," the tall man rolled his eyes, giving a snort of his own. "She's probably already heard every profanity out there."

"Hey," Yusuke turned in his seat to defend his and Keiko's parenting skills, "she's _our_ kid and well we're taking it seriously."

"Why don't you just ask Keiko to marry you already – you've known her forever." Then, Kuwabara squinted deviously and grinned. "You scared?"

"Hell no," and with that, Yusuke punched his arm. The care teetered, as Kuwabara collided against the window with a grunt. "Why don't you ask Yukina, huh," Yusuke shot back with a smug grin, "what's the matter? You scared of Hiei?"

"Shut up!" Kuwabara tried to counter back with a punch of his own, but Yusuke reclined the seat back with the flick of a lever. The car teetered again and glaring, albeit playfully, Kuwabara grumbled, "c'mon, we're wasting time."

Stepping out into the night, a loud whistle tore through the sky. Calmly, because what could scare the men, they turned toward the noise. At the end of the alley, were three boys, dressed alike, and forming some sort of gang.

"Aw," cooed a boy with greasy hair, "you two faggots have a nice screw?"

Kuwabara scrunched his face up, realizing that the car had probably been rocking, as they were hitting each other. He turned away, not really wanting to make little boys cry. However, his friend, ever the cocky one, had other plans.

"I don't know," Yusuke began with a brash laugh, "why don't I bang your face and you tell me how nice I screw?"

Kuwabara shook his head at his friend's behavior. He reached out, attempting to pull him back, but Yusuke brushed him off, intent on having a bit of fun.

"Here comes," Yusuke's eyes darkened playfully, as he wiggled his fingers, "daddy."

"Get out of my way –"

"MOVE –"

"Oof," one of the boys hurried to scramble up, as he tripped over a trashcan," guys, don't leave me!"

Throwing his head back, Yusuke bellowed out in laughter. He continued to laugh, because he hadn't had that much fun in a while. To his side, Kuwabara scrunched up his face and moodily glared.

"Urameshi, did you have to do that?"

"Shut up," Yusuke turned around, punching at Kuwabara's arm, as he passed him, "those idiots deserved it."

Kuwabara glared at the shorter man, "I don't care if they deserved it or not – I don't like it when my sexuality is _implied _like that."

"Geeze, college boy, calm down." Then, catching on to Kuwabara's words, "and don't go using 'structured sentences'," as he said it, he made quotation marks in the air," like that."

"I mean –"

"Che," Yusuke interrupted, "let's go already! We have women, so what are you worried about?"

With a glare, Kuwabara followed his shorter friend, "fine, but you're creepy sometimes."

"Ah, didn't know you cared."

And as they walked, they gave each other a couple of playful punches.

* * *

Stepping out of his silver, Nissan GT, Kurama casually rounded the hood of his car. He carefully kept his head down, because already he could feel their predatory eyes. There were several giggles, low and sultry, and for any other man, they might have worked, but Kurama was able to ignore them. He did, however, glance to the side, peering out carefully, just to get scan his surroundings.

Near the club, there were a handful of women, some smoking, some waiting, and some, well, he was sure that one was vomiting into a trashcan. They were all dressed alike, it seemed, with colorful, little dresses, and yes, they looked nice, because after all, he was a man, but he wasn't here to admire thigh-high dresses. But that didn't stop the fluttering of heavily coated eyelashes, breathy giggles, and pouts from painted lips aimed to capture his attention.

Two women strode forward, ready to pounce on him, and hurriedly, he opened the passenger door. From within a car, a shapely calf appeared, that of a woman, and those sirens were backing away with hateful glares. Sighing in relief, Kurama helped Keiko out of his vehicle. He had survived to live another day.

"Kurama," began Keiko with sly smile, "are you trying to create enemies for me?"

"Why Keiko," he feigned innocence while enfolding her hand into the crook of his elbow (those women were starting to close in again!), "whatever gives you that idea?"

"Oh, I don't know," her eyes sparkled with laughter, but she clutched at his arm, helping him to ward off his vultures, "perhaps all the death glares aimed at me."

The red head chuckled and checked the street. Once there were no cars, he led Keiko across the road and toward the upcoming club.

"I wish he would've told us sooner," muttered Keiko with a sudden sigh.

"Yes, as do the rest of us, but Kuwabara didn't want to burden us."

Keiko eyed him with a frown, "has anyone told Koenma – I know he's busy, but he'd help, wouldn't he?"

"Of course," he gave her a quick smile. "He's sent Botan to accompany Yukina in the safer areas of Tokyo."

"Hm," hummed Keiko. "It's just… hard to imagine Shizuru missing. She's so headstrong and I just can't imagine her being kidnapped."

"We don't know if she's been kidnapped yet, Keiko." Then, to provide some comfort, "she's a Kuwabara, Keiko, she'll be fine."

That didn't stop Keiko from worrying at her lower lip. Up ahead, a neon sign flashed 'Fantasize' and she frowned. She didn't really want to head inside, but Shizuru had gone there a few times, or so Kuwabara had mentioned. Thinking of Kuwabara's sad face, she narrowed her eyes with determination and prepared herself to search every crevice of the club.

Kurama's hand was on the door handle and music was roaring through the walls, when his phone shrilled from within his pocket.

"Hiei," answered Kurama with a slight frown.

Keiko snapped her head at Kurama. Shizuru's disappearance made her uneasy and she was already worried about her friends, about Karen! Images of Karen missing flashed through her head and she clutched at Kurama's arm.

"Karen saw Shizuru." Hiei simply replied into the receiver.

"Karen? Where," hearing Keiko's gasp, he hurriedly held a hand up in a silent gesture to remain calm. Keiko watched his face, searching for any signs, but she was unable to read his face.

"Shizuru was leading Karen away from the theater to her car, but there was no car."

Kurama glanced around at the crowd on the sidewalk and he lowered his voice. "You didn't sense her?"

"Her energy was faint," Kurama could hear the slight fury in Hiei's voice, "and then it disappeared before the jagan could catch it."

Then, Kurama's voice lowered even more, as he asked, "Karen, is she all right?"

Keiko searched Kurama's face with a worried gaze, "what's wrong with Karen, Kurama?"

"Yes," answered Hiei, short and simple.

Flashing Keiko a smile, he nodded his head and that seemed to calm her down. However, the line was still buzzing and Hiei hadn't hung up. Gripping the phone tighter, Kurama eyed a passing car. "Hiei, what else is there?"

"A demon was nearby."

* * *

Kuwabara walked in sync with Yusuke, as they exited the small bar. He kicked a rock, not caring that it hit a trashcan and dented in the metal.

"Well, we know she was there," Yusuke calmly placed his hands behind his head, "it's a lead."

"Yeah, some lead." Kuwabara stuffed his hands in his pockets and scoffed, "all he said was, 'she was here but then she left'."

"Compared to the other places, I'd say it was the best news yet," replied Yusuke.

Kuwabara grunted.

"I think you're gaining some common ground with Hiei, Kuwabara –maybe you can marry Yukina now."

"Shut up."

Yusuke laughed. "Hey, remember when you first found out about Hiei being her brother and Hiei confronted you when he found out you wanted to date his sister?"

"Of course, I remember," Kuwabara suddenly shivered, "he held his sword to my throat and said if I truly cared for his sister, than I should just die and rid the world of one less idiot."

"Man," Yusuke smirked, "how'd you get him to let you date Yukina anyways? That surprised me – all of us, actually."

Kuwabara lifted his shoulder in a casual shrug, "we made a deal."

"Yeah?" asked Yusuke, expecting an answer.

"Yup," clearly, Kuwabara wasn't going to go too in depth with his answer, "he has some weird threats."

"Yeah," Yusuke didn't press him about what kind of threat, because to each their own, instead he laughed again, saying, "like the time he said he'd kill us if we didn't win our fights just before he passed out at the Dark Tournament?"

Kuwabara smiled fondly and Yusuke grinned, having finally snapped Kuwabara from his mopey self.

"Still," sniggered Kuwabara, "I wish I had drawn that moustache on him."

Yusuke was ready to laugh, but when they passed the back alley, he dropped his arms and turned his head.

"Eh," Kuwabara scratched his head. "What's wrong?"

"Follow me."

Walking slowly into the alley, the men looked around. A cold chill fluttered up Kuwabara's spine and he shivered. He knew that feeling.

"Feel it?" asked Yusuke when he saw his friend shiver.

Kuwabara nodded and his eyes narrowed, "yeah, a demon was here.

"Yeah, _was_ here," even so, he flared his energy out to get a better feel for the energy, "feels a few days old." Then, he frowned, "better alert Koenma."

"Might as well walk the rest of the way – the car is down there," and Kuwabara shuffled past, heading down the alley.

Turning, Yusuke trailed after the tall man. Kicking various stones, his foot swung back to kick another rock, but he froze. Light reflected off plastic and he picked the object up.

"Urameshi," and Kuwabara whirled around, "what's the –"

Yusuke held the phone up into the light and Kuwabara paled.

"Urameshi, that's hers."

* * *

Keiko sprinkled green flakes atop the okonomiyaki inside the restaurant. Shifting a glance outside, she sighed.

"I hope they get here soon," she stated, reaching for more seasoning, "the food is almost ready."

"Keiko," Kurama set his drink down, "they'll be here soon."

Keiko exhaled, frustrated and worried, "I wished Kuwabara would've come back with Yusuke. I don't like the idea of him acting like this – it's just… not like him."

"Yukina will straighten him out." Grabbing the flakes out of Keiko's hand, he began sprinkling it over their dish. "Do try not to worry too much," then he leaned forward to murmur, "and I know you and Yusuke have decided not to involve Karen, but she'll know something is wrong if you keep acting like this."

Keiko blew some air out and pouted. "I know, I know, and I agree with Yusuke, but this just seems so bizarre! I feel like keeping Karen away from the city because of this – I feel like something is watching me and," she closed, calming herself, then said, "I'm just glad Hiei's usually with her."

"Yes, Hiei's been great help." Kurama turned to eye the vehicles that pulled up outside. "Look, they're here."

Glancing out the window, Keiko immediately smiled, "and so is Yusuke."

"Karen's looks tired," commented Kurama and indeed, she did, because she nearly tipped over, as Hiei parked the bike. "Perhaps, after this you should take her straight home? I can drive Yusuke home," he took a sip of his water, "we have some things to discuss."

Outside, Hiei was shrugging his shoulder, obviously trying to rouse Karen from her slumber. When he was unsuccessful, he managed to slip off the bike and set Karen on the ground. After giving her a rough shake, she snapped awake. Yanking the helmet off, she pushed it into his chest and stomped toward the restaurant.

"Oh, Hiei," moaned Keiko, as she eyed his brash behavior.

Kurama chuckled around the rim of his glass, as Karen tripped over a pothole, "you have to admit though that he has changed in the nine years he's been here." However, Kurama's eyes narrowed in slight concern. _'Still, he started turning cold again these past few years… I hope that changes.'_

"It's a miracle."

* * *

I yawned for the tenth time, ignoring Hiei's annoyed growl. Burying my face against his bike, I drowsily inhaled. He smelled like the earth and soap and it was _very_ pleasant.

The morning sunshine peeked from behind the clouds, gracing the ground with its rays. The shadows shrank away, leaving thin streaks upon the earth like spilled ink.

It just was too beautiful a day for tests.

All too soon, the roaring of the engine stopped and I clenched my eyes shut, tightening onto his warmth. I wanted to stay here, right here, wrapped up in all this warmth, but my eyes were already opening. And there was the school, looking formidable, as it stood before us. I groaned.

After the incident with Shizuru, Yusuke and Keiko explained that she had just gotten out of a bad relationship, and that she was not right in the head. I was horrified at the news. It was my fault she was so upset that night. I should have turned and went back to the movie, but no, like an idiot, I just went chasing her until she snapped. I wanted to apologize, but they wouldn't let me. Then, her stricken face kept flashing and to chase away my worries, Yusuke threatened me with –

"_Forget it and if you think too much on it, I'll ground you." _

I hope he doesn't ground me all the time.

Beneath my cheek, Hiei was tensing. I knew I had held on too long. That wasn't good. With a sigh, I swung my leg over and turned to the school. I didn't move forward. I didn't want to move forward, because now, my stomach was fluttering with butterflies.

"You'll be late," stated Hiei, as he removed his sunglasses, to better observe the building.

He was right. Nodding, I took a step toward that horrid test. A step was as far as I made it, before he tugged on the back of my shirt. I glanced at him with frown, but he was eyeing the top of my head.

"Oops," I was still wearing the helmet, "I forgot."

Still seated upon the bike, he reached under my chin to undo the strap. For some reason, he had a habit of taking the helmet off. It was probably because I would take too long to handle such a simple act. Sadly, it was true. A click later and the strap came undone. However, he didn't remove the helmet right away. Instead, he pulled me toward him and stared into my eyes.

"Kurama's picking you up," he murmured.

"Oh," I nearly frowned in disappoint, "w-why – er, I mean, where… are you going somewhere?"

"No, Koenma is coming over."

Even though I wasn't trying to be disappointed, my shoulders sagged anyways. I had grown attached to spending time with him the past few days. Sure, the ride to the theater had been awkward, but I enjoyed it. And the movie was great, until the Shizuru incident, but great nonetheless. We also went to the library yesterday, where I continued studying, and he brooded next to me, sharpening my pencils until they resembled daggers. I liked spending time with him.

"Pathetic," his voice shattered my thoughts as he removed my helmet.

"What," I was a bit dazed. Remembering what he had said, I glared at him, "how am I pathetic?"

Unfolding his sunglasses, he stared straight ahead.

"Hello, Hiei," I leaned toward him, "I asked you a question."

"Because," he drawled while slipping on his shades, "worrying over a ridiculous test is useless."

I'm not sure how it happened, but it did happen. I had stepped closer, ready to snap out some witty remark, and his head whipped around so fast, I didn't have time to back away. At that moment, his lips brushed past the corner of my mouth. I felt like someone dumped a bucket of fire into my mouth, because everything heated up. I wanted to dwell on the fire, but then he was jerking back, and his hands were clenched tightly around the handlebars. Without another word, he was roaring down the street.

It was accident. I knew it was an accident, but why did he have to act so angrily? The way he rode off, how his hands tightened around the handlebars and the scowl twisting upon his face, made me feel disgusting. I felt as if I were something nasty beneath his shoe.

Saddened, I trudged toward the school. I was halfway up, ready to move toward a bench and mope, when I decided to check the time.

"Damn you, Hiei," I growled, "I'm late!"

I was dashing up the steps like a pro. Surprisingly, I made it to the top without one stumble. Ducking into the building, I searched the hallways, because I had no idea where the testing room was located. I walked down one hallway, doubled back, and took another. I was lost. Dear god, I'm lost! I'm going to miss the test and let down Yusuke and Keiko and –

There was a pounding of feet and I whirled around. Up ahead was a boy, around my age, and peering closer, I could see that he was the boy from the theater. He was sprinting down the hall with a worried look on his face, a mirror of my emotions. Huffing, I took off after him. I was right behind him when he ducked into a room.

"Mr. Moto and Ms. Urameshi, I presume," greeted a voice.

I almost didn't acknowledge the surname. I was still getting used to it. Hurriedly, I nodded from behind the boy.

"Nice of you to join us today," drawled the teacher, seeming annoyed. "Take a seat."

The room was crowded. I thought there would be a handful of students, but no, there were several handfuls. I didn't know where to sit, because it was so crowded, but that boy was heading down a row. Automatically, I followed him, hoping there was another seat available and yes, thank goodness, there was!

"Now, you'll be timed on the sections," the teacher was handing out packets, "take your pencils out and wait for further instructions."

Opening my bag, I yanked a pencil out – then yanked out several more, because these pencils were so sharp, I'd probably break the lead with one stroke. Again, I cursed Hiei. There was a slight smack, as a booklet plopped onto my desk.

"Begin!"

Closing my eyes, I groaned.


	12. Too Good to Last

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here.

* * *

Chapter Twelve- Too Good to Last

* * *

"More tea, Koenma," offered Keiko, as she lifted the tea kettle.

He didn't respond at first, seeming to be deep in thought, but when he did, he politely refused, "ah, no thank you."

"Well," she remarked, because it really wasn't hard to notice, "Koenma, you seem to be thinking pretty hard about something."

His hazel eyes flashed to her face and then immediately back down into his teacup. He took another sip, a swallow, and then downed the cup.

"What do you mean," he asked, ever so carefully, thinking he could play off accusation.

Setting her teakettle down, she brushed a hand over her apron. She was ready to point out the reasons, but then her hand brushed over a patch of dry rice upon her apron. Glancing down, she eyed the apron, and she should wash it, because there were burnt streaks and dried rice all over the front.

-Flashback-

Keiko donned on her yellow apron and knotted the strings. Smoothing the front, she eyed the black splotches and dried rice all over the fabric. Picking the rice off, she huffed. A giggle echoed in the room and she whirled around.

Karen lifted a hand to her mouth to muffle her laughter. When it was apparent Keiko wanted answers, Karen marked a place in her book, and turned toward her with a calm smile.

"Sorry," she replied, glancing at Keiko, "but Yusuke got carried away yesterday when he made lunch."

"What," Keiko's eyebrows lifted in shock. Surely, she was jesting, because Yusuke didn't cook and she said so, "Yusuke doesn't cook."

"Yeah he does," she insisted with a grin, "he cooks lunch on your class days! You should have seen what he made the first time. It was black and when I poked it with my chopstick – liquid oozed out!"

Keiko couldn't help but laugh when Karen continued with her imaginary jabs. Embarrassed at her behavior, Karen smiled sheepishly and settled down.

"Hm," more serious now, Keiko frowned, "I told Yusuke to make sure you eat, but I didn't think he'd actually cook."

"Oh yeah," countered Karen, seemingly challenging her musings, "and is miso soup supposed to taste sour, because that's Yusuke's cooking, right there."

"No, miso soup has many flavors." Then, "I've never heard of soup miso soup."

Karen swiped a hand across her forehead and brushed her bangs out of the way. "Well, that's what we had for lunch one day. It was sour and," she leaned forward slightly to whisper, "and something crunched inside it."

Furrowing her brows, Keiko gasped, "Karen, you didn't really eat it, did you?"

Hanging her head, Karen sighed, as if she were some sort of doomed prisoner. "I had no choice," suddenly, her head whipped up, "but yesterday, he made rice balls and those were actually good – that's why you have rice on the apron, because he…"

"He does what?" she asked while raising an eyebrow to let Karen know that she wasn't dropping the subject.

At first, Karen wasn't going to answer, because she didn't think Yusuke would want Keiko to know. However, Keiko's eyebrow was rising higher and her hands were settling on her hips. The stance meant business. Unbeknownst to Keiko, Karen was used to be intimidated by this stance from Yusuke and he had drilled this stance into her head to make sure she would always answer when prompted.

With another sigh, Karen slouched and murmured, "Yusuke wears it when he cooks."

Karen wasn't expecting Keiko's reaction. Keiko wasn't even expecting her own reaction. But as the words left Karen's mouth, Keiko threw her head back and laughed. She couldn't help it. The laughter just kept coming and coming! Her side was hurting and she really should stop, because Karen was staring at her with a concerned gaze. Heaving in air, she managed to stifle the laugh and sag against the refrigerator.

"Hey," announced Yusuke, as he strode into the kitchen with a newspaper under his armpit.

Taking one look at Yusuke, Keiko erupted into the insane laughter again. She slid down the fridge and settled on the ground. Keiko pointed at her apron, then Yusuke, and back again with a round of giggles.

Baffled and perhaps, slightly frightened, Yusuke turned to Karen, "what did you do?"

"Me," asked Karen while bringing a hand to her chest, "it wasn't me – you did it!"

"How did I," he stated, pointing at himself, "do this?" he jabbed a thumb at Keiko.

The words came out quickly, as Karen gathered her books and scrambled around the table. "Because you got her apron dirty and I told you to put it in the washer, but you forgot, didn't you," Karen was inching toward the back door, as Yusuke glared, "and she was wondering about it, so I told her that you w-wear it –"

Yusuke's cheeks turned pink, _"why did you tell her I was wearing the apron!"_

"H-hey," stuttered Karen, "there's dried rice on it and she –"

"Karen," Yusuke growled, as he headed around the table.

Whirling away, Karen dashed out the backdoor. Yusuke sprinted after her, practically blurring out the door. In the distance, there was a loud wail – a cry for Keiko's aid. At this, Keiko laughed even harder and outside, there was even more laughter.

-End of Flashback-

A hand waved in front of her face and Keiko blinked in confusion. Eyeing the prince, she cleared her throat and returned to her seat.

"Sorry, Koenma," she sputtered out, "just kind of zone out for a minute."

"Are you sure," he frowned, "because it was a lot longer than a minute and you were smiling and laughing –"

Keiko clapped her hands together with a blush, "oh, it was just this funny moment," she waved her hands, "anyways, what were we talking about? – right, you have a problem!"

Koenma shifted nervously in his seat, looking away, "I don't have a _problem_."

"Mm, sure," murmured Keiko with a smirk, "Koenma, something's on your mind," clasping her hands she gave the prince her complete attention, "now, is it something I can help you with?"

"No," Koenma sighed, then, "well, yes – no – I don't know."

"See," Keiko's eyes sparkled, "even your answers are troubling."

Koenma trailed a finger along the rim of his cup, avoiding the small, brunette woman's eyes. The clock ticked against the wall and he sifted in his seat again. Peeking at Keiko, he immediately regretted it, because she was staring at him intensely.

Giving in, he slumped forward moodily, "it's Botan."

"O-oh, is she sick or something?"

"Ah, no. Well – I don't know." He laughed and swept a hand through his hair. "I'm not making much sense, am I?

"No, which is new for you," concerned now, she eyed him, "what's wrong with Botan?"

"Botan and I have been courting –"

"Oh," Keiko gasped, "you two are dating!"

"Yes, yes," he waved his hand, "and we were being very discreet."

"How long," demanded Keiko. She wanted the details.

Koenma leaned back with wary eyes, "seven months –"

_"Seven months!"_

"Keiko, please," he rubbed his ears with a grimace.

"Sorry," apologized Keiko. She hadn't meant to scream, but this was some surprising news. "Er, continue."

"As I was saying, we've been dating for several months. However, lately, she's been acting strange."

Frowning, Keiko began to worry again, "strange how?"

Koenma lifted a hand and ticked off each of Botan's strange acts, "she calls in, which is unusual, because she hardly misses. She has these weird outbursts," he frowned, "she doesn't think I hear it, but she cries…"

Listening carefully, Keiko's brain worked furiously, coming up with all the possibilities for Botan's sudden behavior. Then, it clicked.

"… and she gets this crazy look in her eye," continued Koenma, oblivious to her behavior, "she even yelled at Jorge one day, for no apparent reason –"

"Koenma," Keiko interrupted, "how about I talk with Botan, okay – maybe, I can be of more help that way."

He eyed the glint in Keiko's eyes, but he couldn't make anything of it. He opened his mouth to ask her what help Botan could possibly need, and the thought better of it, because this was obviously women territory.

"I suppose that would be better," he conceded with a sigh.

Keiko smiled and she was ready to bombard him with more questions: how did it all start, who came on to who, when was the first kiss – but, then there was a loud rumbling outside.

"Hiei," announced Koenma, having stood to glance out the window, "about time."

Excusing himself, Koenma strode toward the door. Just before he met Hiei, he pulled out his pacifier and stuck it in his mouth. It was time to add more energy to the binky.

"Hiei," greeted Koenma.

Hiei didn't bother greeting Koenma. He didn't even bother glancing at him in acknowledgement. Instead, he kicked out the bike's stand and took his time untangling from the bike.

"All right, I guess I'll just dive right in." Calmly, Koenma placed his hands behind his back, "have you been feeling _different _lately?"

At the sudden question, there was a flash of warmth, as he remembered how he and Karen had parted. Shooting Koenma a suspicious glance, he crossed his arms.

"No."

"I just wondered, since you've been spending all this time with Karen – however, that does bring up my next question." He frowned thoughtfully, "have you tested the length of your connection at all?"

Hiei's eyes shifted to the ground, his way of silently thinking. Koenma rocked back and forth, waiting patiently. After all these years, he still didn't know how to communicate with Hiei. Hiei seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because instead of answering, like any of his other teammates, he grunted. Koenma refrained from rolling his eyes and took that to mean no.

"Well," Koenma began, "I'd like you to test it right now."

Hiei's head shot up and Koenma hadn't seen the demon display so much emotion in a long time. Stifling a chuckle, he nodded at the demon, "go as far as you can. I'll be here," then he lowered his voice, in a warning, "use the bike. Remember, you are not allowed to –"

Before Koenma could finish, Hiei was already kicking the park stand free and revving the engine. Without a backward glance, Hiei pushed off the ground and sped forward. A splitting roar tore through the sky. Koenma backed up and shield his face from the flying gravel. Dusting himself off, Koenma glared at the cloud of dirt trailing after Hiei.

* * *

Hiei guided the motorcycle easily and swerved around cars in record time. Leaning down more, he molded his body to the bike to speed even more. The wind tossed his hair back and plastered his shirt against his skin. Gripping the handlebars, he increased the speed.

Heading out of Hakone, he quickly estimated the distance in his head. The sun was glinting off his glasses and made him appear dangerous looking. The road stretched before him and seemed endless. He eyed the trees, as they were blurring beside him, and a feeling of disgust washed over him.

He wanted to travel among the trees and use his demon speed. This human invention he had to use was ungrateful and a lazy contraption. Still, he preferred the _bike_ than the _car._ He didn't like being cramped in those particular vehicles. It was suffocating.

Rounding a bend, he glanced to his left and eyed the tiny, blue flowers scattered among the grass. The flowers drifted all along the sides of the road, waving in rhythm with the wind. Staring at them, the blue flowers began weaving together and blending into an image that rarely left his head.

_Hiei stopped once he found that girl, the annoying girl who knew better than to wander this far and stay out too long. He had waited, and it seemed he was always doing so when she was around, but when the hour came for her to return, she was nowhere in sight. He had decided he would throttle her, yell a few choice words, give her glare, and then drag her back to the temple._

_But his punishments scattered once he pushed through the grass. If she hadn't been standing there, he might have noticed the tree, large and king-like, but he only saw her. His eyes flickered over her, from head to toe, taking in the blue dress, the way the sun beamed atop her head, and her hair fluttering in the wind. _

_Suddenly, she turned and he was ready to glare, say something rude, and let her know he didn't tolerate the burden of coming after her, but then – those eyes were piercing him. They were blue, like the sky, like her dress, like an ocean he had seen in Demon world and glittering with happiness, something he didn't understand. She shouldn't be happy to see him, but there it was, and aimed solely at him. He clenched his fists inside his pocket, his attempt to look away, because she's a stupid, pathetic human – then she smiled._

"_You know," she began, "it doesn't work if you come fetch me."_

Jerking upright, he managed to turn, as he approached a bend in the road. He barely had time to make the turn, but he was a demon, and barely was all he needed. The bike righted and he cursed loudly, because he had nearly skidded into a patch of blue flowers.

"Damn girl!" he hissed.

* * *

"Ouch," I slapped a hand at my head. Heads swiveled around for one of two reasons. I was either having a breakdown and yes, who wouldn't want to watch someone lose it, or they were merely turning to send me a swift glare, because don't you know we're taking a test?

"Ah, sorry," slouching, I lowered my head to hide the blush, "I just p-poked myself with the um, yeah, my pencil."

Apparently, my confession wasn't interesting enough for further questions, because they all returned to their tests. I remained slouched in my seat. I rubbed my temple, pondering the pain, but it was gone now. It could have been stress and then again, it could be hunger pains, because I hadn't eaten. Sometimes, I get so hungry I get a headache. I wonder if Kurama would mind stopping somewhere after my test –

"Phssst," hissed a voice.

I glanced over and met warm, hazel eyes. It was the boy from the theater, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember his name. He tapped at his watch, pointed at a clock, and then at my test. Once I took in the time, I very nearly screamed in horror.

I was tearing through the test now, wielding the pencil with a fury, as if I were in some sort of fencing battle. Suddenly, I could hear all the pencils in the room. Everyone was scratching into the test. Keiko was crying, because I didn't get into the school. I broke a pencil and hurried to grab another. That boy broke his pencil and the lead hit a girl in the back of the head. Yusuke was furious and said he was going to ground me. I accidently stabbed myself. That girl was glaring and muttering curses. I turned red, holding my breath, and there was one last question and I'll be damned if I don't give this my all –

"Time," the teacher yelled. With a sigh, I almost keeled over. "Now, there's a fifty-minute lunch break before the next test. The last section is writing and you will be given a topic to test your writing skills. Also," he eyed the boy and me with a frown, "please be on _time_."

Tiredly, I gathered all my pencils (I went through seven, curse Hiei) and tipped them into the bag. Groups of kids were already forming and I felt the pang of loneliness. I ducked my head, ready to find somewhere to hide out, maybe read through some of Kuwabara's grammar notes, and re-sharpen my pencils, but was startled by a voice.

"Hey!"

It was the theater boy. He jogged up to me with a smile. I glanced over a shoulder, wondering if he was perhaps greeting someone else behind me, but no, it was just me. Turning back to him, I gave him a small smile, trying to appear friendly. Of course, it wasn't hard to do. I was friendly person.

"I'm Kenji," he immediately held out his hand.

Smiling, I took his hand and murmured, "I'm Karen."

Letting go quickly, we stared at each other again. There was silence. It was the kind of silence, where two people meet and after the introductions, one just doesn't know what to say. I figured this could go one of two ways. This would be the last time we ever talked, because he'd find me weird looking, too American or something, and he'd stalk off after that pretty, Asian girl. The other way, was that I could save face and just walk off, go find that corner, and immerse myself in Kuwabara's oddly organized notes. However, when I turned to walk away, he fell into step beside me.

"You're the water girl," he flashed me a grin, "from the theater."

I nodded, smiling, "yeah, you kind of… gave me a hard time."

"Sorry about that," he chortled, but it came out like an odd snort. He seemed embarrassed by it, glanced my way (I feigned ignorance), but continued when he was satisfied I had not heard the odd laugh. "I was bored. I just started that job."

"So," I began and surprisingly, the awkwardness was gone, "do your parents want you to attend here too?"

And that's all it took for him to settle into an easy stride, "well, I just moved back here a few weeks ago, you see, I'm half Japanese and half Caucasian – don't ask for a breakdown of that, because it gets complicated, like my mother had some Cherokee in her, I think."

I studied his profile, taking in his black hair, where it stuck up in the back, as if he didn't have time to brush it, or maybe he never tended to it. The glasses framing his face glinted in the light. He was tall and scrawny.

"Lived in the States for a couple of years," he scratched his head, "but then dad got relocated here, for his job," he glanced sideways at me, "he works for the Toyota industry, so we move a lot." I nodded and he plowed on, "anyways, when we got here, it was already the middle of the school year and they wouldn't let me in, so I had to wait until now and sadly, finish up Senior year, even though I had already been half way finish with it back at my other school –"he yawned and I smiled, wondering how he could feel so at ease, "and I nearly missed this test… woke up late."

Thinking of the test, I frowned, "I didn't think there would be so many students testing today."

"Yeah, schools like this, always hold emergency testing dates," the entrance doors were approaching and he held one open for me, "the school board always tells parent's that they'll allow it this one time," he snorted, "but they lie. They like holding these sort of late tests. It lets them know if they'll get any more students with _rich_ parents. All schools like money."

"But I thought this school was one of the best around here?"

Kenji scratched his head, thinking. "Well, it's the best public school here in this area and yeah, it is good, because a few of the students here get accepted to the top universities – supposed to be a hard school, I guess"

"Are you nervous," I asked nervously, "my m-mom, says that hardly anyone gets into the school because the tests," I cleared my throat, hoping he didn't hear the slight stutter. I was just going to say Keiko, but for some reason, it just came out as mom. "She says the tests are hard."

He laughed and I didn't understand what could be funny about it until he explained, "that's true… for the natives here…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't you know?" he asked, watching my face, "this school likes different ethnic backgrounds."

"So... the ethnicity factor can play a role here?"

"Yep," he beamed.

"What about the scores on the entrance exams – if it's not high enough, you can't get in."

Toeing the ground, he looked up at the sky. "If you can read and write Japanese, fluently, it really impresses them, because it's high on their standards. It shows that you've taken the culture here seriously – that and they kind of like more foreign families to consider their school, I guess."

Hearing this new information, I began to smile. The stress of the exams started to fade. It felt like the muscles in my neck deflated with relief. Although, I knew that I still had to be considered, it was somewhat more of a relief knowing I might have a better chance now. I just didn't want to disappoint Yusuke and Keiko, especially her, and this was my one chance to impress them.

He grinned, his mouth stretching. "Nice news?"

I nodded, before asking," are you not – I mean, you seem pretty confident – you're not nervous?"

"No, I got into the sport's program. I play tennis and I guess this school likes how I play, but I needed to take the test. As long as I make the required score they set for me, I'm in. If not, well, I'll go somewhere else."

Glancing at him, I found it hard to believe that he could fail the exam. He looked intelligent and he spoke kind of elegantly. "I'm sure you'll get in!"

He grinned, lips stretching across his face. Laughing, I skipped down the steps, forgetting my hatred toward _stairs._ Nearing the last step, I jumped. Kenji mimicked me and we both landed on the ground at the same time.

Chuckling, I turned toward him with a grin, "so where are we going, Kenji?"

"Uh, well I-I," he suddenly appeared nervous, but he took a deep breath, and calmed down, "well, we have about forty minutes." Then, his voice seemed to deepen and his cheeks reddened, "are you hungry?"

Before I could answer, he was gushing out another sentence, "because I didn't bring anything – and you don't have a bento box, not that I could see," his eyes widened, "not that I'm looking or anything, but I'm just hungry –"

Laughing, I cut him off before he could confuse me, "okay, besides I'm hungry too."

He broke into a grin, showing off a set of pearly whites. Adjusting his glasses, he glanced at me, seeming to contemplate something, thought better off it, and smiled.

"C'mon," he rushed forward, but tripped over his shoe. Catching himself, he glanced at me with a nervous smile.

I couldn't help but think that we were going to be great friends.

* * *

Yusuke leaned back in his chair and studied Koenma, "anything?"

"No, not yet, Yusuke." Koenma knew Yusuke wanted good news, but he didn't have any, so he hurried on once Yusuke's jaw tightened, "it's just not that easy."

"Yeah, sorry," he grumbled.

"Look," Koenma began, "Shizuru's phone you found the other night didn't provide any demon energy, not a bit – even when we ran it through some tests to distract any possible, lingering waves, it came back negative."

Leaning back more, Yusuke balanced on two chair legs. He appeared casual, but he wasn't, and his voice betrayed his relax demeanor. "Damn, we're not getting anywhere!"

"Yusuke, as Kurama mentioned, Shizuru is not the only woman missing."

"I know – so what do we do?" asked Yusuke bitterly. "If woman are disappearing, then we need to do something, something more than just staring stupidly at all these dead ends."

"We can't be too drastic yet," he tapped his fingers along the tabletop, a nervous habit, "we're not even sure all of them are missing because of demons –"

"What the hell, Koenma!" All four of the chair legs fell back to the floor with a thud and the sound was ominous. "Kurama said that you recorded demon energies in several areas where these women disappeared –"

"Yes, but not all the places had these demon energies –"

Yusuke cut in again, "I sensed the demon energy in that alley. There was demon energy during that earthquake!" His eyes darkened, as he remembered Shizuru, "Hiei even sensed a demon where Shizuru was leading Karen to who knows where – some van, out there in the dark, where these demons were probably waiting to add Karen to their collection – Hell, that's probably their scheme. They kidnap women and then have them kidnap other women –"

Koenma faced Yusuke fully, "we can't just rush into these things –"

"You think I want these women to keep disappearing?" He was furious and as he stood, his chair went flying back toward the wall. "Dammit, I have two_ women _to take care of, Koenma! Who's going to disappear next, huh? Kurama's mom? My mom? Yukina? Botan? Shit, maybe they'll even manage to take Genkai!"

Koenma expected more words, more curses, maybe even a broken chair or two, but Yusuke was already whirling away. Hands shaking, Yusuke picked his chair back up and set it there against the wall. He turned away from Koenma and stared out the window.

Koenma remembered when Yusuke had been a young boy. He had been a young boy who had died to save a little boy, only to realize he wasn't supposed to die – a young boy who had become friends with dangerous demons and had fought alongside them in a demon tournament. And then, like all boys, he grew up. Now, that young boy was a grown man. He was strong, terribly so, and ruled a part of Demon World. But he was still just a man – a man trying to settle for an average life and protecting his loved ones. Yusuke was more mature than he realized; he was wiser. Had anyone asked what he or she thought Yusuke would be like when he was older, he or she would have said a criminal, prisoner, or better yet, a dead man. They'd never think he'd be a maturing adult or a concerned parent_._

"Yusuke," Keiko peeked into the kitchen with wide eyes, "is everything alright?" she stepped forward, "I heard yelling."

Not bothering to turn around, he answered her over his shoulder, "everything's fine."

She flinched at his tone. He may have tried to sound casual and calm, but the words were like a whip. Keiko glanced over at Koenma, but he was staring at the clock, obviously wanting to stay out of the way. She could feel Yusuke's anger, because the emotion was rolling off him in waves. Taking a deep breath, she approached him, hardly noticing that Koenma was striding out of the room.

"Yusuke," she reached out to touch him.

"Don't," he snapped out in an icy tone.

Flinching, Keiko bit her lip. After a minute, she took a deep breath and tried to assess the situation. She took note of his tense shoulders and rigid jaw. It wasn't unusual for Yusuke to lose his temper or to get angry every now and then, but she didn't how to handle _this_ situation.

Right now, Yusuke was angry. Right now, Yusuke was in a mood to fight. Right now, Yusuke was a threat to any man or demon who messed with him.

Yet, Keiko knew, even with his strength, power, and demon energy, that he would never hurt her. Mind made up, she let her arms wrap around his waist. He tensed and she could feel the powerful muscles of his back coiling. She held him tighter.

"Keiko, I want to be left alone."

But even as he said it, they both knew he didn't want to be left alone. However, he wanted to fight, yell, break something, and she inhaled, preparing herself for the fight, if only to take away some his anger.

"No you don't."

And he was prepared to fight back, "let go!"

* * *

Koenma sat on the porch steps and brooded over his situation. From inside, he could hear muffled yells, something broke, and he waited for it – there was a loud slap, Keiko's famous hand. Sighing, he hunched over and shook his head.

Nearly five hours and Hiei was still gone. Koenma suspected the connectionmay have stretch quite a bit, but he had no idea it would take Hiei _this_ long. He was ready to leave and then thought better of it, because he was actually enjoying the day out of his office. Still, he didn't want to be the third wheel, as if he were a kid waiting for his parent's to stop fighting.

There was a crunch of gravel and he recognized the silver vehicle. Standing, he felt better, because he finally had other people to visit.

* * *

"Koenma," I greeted happily. It had been a long time since I last met him.

Koenma smiled and pushed his pinky to one side of his mouth. "Karen – how was the test?"

Of course, that would be the first thing out of his mouth. Even Kurama had asked the same question the moment I plopped into his car. Now that the test was over with, I didn't want to think about it. Looking down, I toed the gravel to avoid answering.

"She won't say yet," he answered Koenma with a chuckle, "don't be so negative, Karen." Kindly, he squeezed my shoulder. "I'm sure you did well."

Both men were smiling, apparently wanting some sort of answer, and so I groaned, "I don't think so," the panic from the test started to leak through, "there were about a dozen students in there – I didn't think there would be so many and I was late," I began shuffling in place, "the teacher was kind of grumpy about that – and you should have seen how many pencils I went through, because they kept breaking!" Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, "the test was hard."

Now, Koenma looked apologetic, but all he could say was, "well… you did your best – A for effort?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, "I guess so."

There was a muffled shout and we all turned to stare at the source of the noise. I tensed, wondering why people were yelling inside the house. A second later and there was a loud slapping sound.

"Keiko and Yusuke arguing?" inquired Kurama.

"I'm afraid it's my fault though," Koenma shook his head, "Yusuke and I had a disagreement – actually, since Hiei's not back yet, maybe we should intervene? I've had time to think things through and I'd like to discuss it with you two."

Kurama nodded and both men began heading inside, exchanging whispers. I trailed behind them, hoping to hear something exciting. Before I could enter the house, there was the sound of something hitting the ground. Pens and pencils (and it had to be the _sharp_ pencils fault) had slipped from my bag, forming a trail. With a sigh, I hung back to gather up the supplies.

There was another yell, this time louder, because I was near the door. Instead of heading inside, I set the bag down and headed around the house for a walk.

I didn't want to think about their fight, but I did. There were fighting and loudly too, because their voices were echoing from within the house. I forced away their words, not wanting to hear them.

Pulling out my phone, I scrolled through the contacts. And there was Kenji Moto, smiling beside his phone number with crossed eyes and his tongue hanging out.

Closing my phone, I thought back to my morning. Yes, I was late for my test and got on the teacher's bad side (I should have brought him an apple). And I certainly made Hiei mad, but that had been an accident! Sure, I had tests to take and yeah, my pencils were a hassle. I had started with a bad morning, but in the end, things went kind of well.

Perhaps, it was because I made a friend. Perhaps, it was because Hiei wasn't around and I didn't have to face him. Perhaps, it was from the sushi I had for lunch. Perhaps, it was because the clouds had disappeared, revealing the sun. Perhaps, it was because I didn't have to worry about studying for a _major_ entrance exam – yes that had to be it. Even if I didn't make it into the school, at least I tried.

Approaching the top of the hill, I felt the need to run. It was the kind of feeling one gets after a long day, where one marches up to bed with the intent of just taking a running jump onto the mattress. I wasn't near a bed, but I could do the running part.

There's something about running downhill that causes one's adrenaline to soar. It almost felt like I was flying. But I should have known not to run, because every time I do, a hole decides to say 'hey, she needs to trip now' and then proceeds to pop up right –

The screech in my throat died abruptly, not having enough time to surge forth into a well-formed scream, or squeal, whatever it decided to be. Gravity sucked me forward and I hit the ground, breathless and dazed. I continued rolling. I couldn't stop for a good minute. When I finally did come to a halt (that sushi sloshed around in my stomach), I was face down in the grass.

I was okay. The ground was actually soft and the grass was nice and spongy. I didn't move, just laid there, breathing heavily. I saw a flash of color and turned my head to rest a cheek on the spicy grass.

Tiny pink flowers lay scattered around me. A few yellow butterflies flew among them, landing on the flowers every now and then. The pink flowers twitched in the slight breeze. The petals were wiggling in greeting. Picking a flower, I sniffed it and sighed at the slight floral scent. Smiling, I glanced back at the butterflies gliding about. Watching the scene, I felt my eyelids began to droop.

All those days of studying were finally taking its toll. The test was over with and I was going to shove it behind me and pray the scores were decent. Shoving and praying was about all I could do now.

I should check my surroundings, make sure no one saw my clumsiness, but man, the grass was so nice. The events of today were already fading, because the butterflies were whisking them away. Hiei's anger from that accidental _brush up_ was trickling away. Yusuke and Keiko's voices were farther and farther away.

I finally gave into the sleep I had avoided for the past few days.

* * *

Koenma sipped from his cup thoughtfully and tried to ignore the aftermath of the kitchen. Surprisingly, the kitchen bench was missing and Koenma had a feeling that it was somewhere in the house, a spare room, laying in pieces. He eyed the room over the rim of his cup. Keiko was standing at the counter and chopping vegetables for dinner. Yusuke, cheeks slightly red, was sitting in the chair backwards, but Koenma was relieved to see he was no longer angry. He actually seemed a great deal calmer. Kurama was like him, sitting and sipping, ignoring the room by staring out the window. However, he seemed to find something amusing, because he was grinning around the rim of his cup.

"Alright," Koenma finally said, "we'll hold a meeting –"

Yusuke was still a little grumpy and shot Koenma a side glare, "fine, but I want to know_ everything_ that you've found out."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Koenma," warned Yusuke with a slight clench of his fist.

"And we'll discuss a mission for all of us as well?" asked Kurama, alert now, and always knowing when to intervene. "It'd be the first mission we've had in a long time together, assuming we are all employed again."

Koenma gave an exasperated sigh.

Yes, it was true that the _team _had broken up years ago, but Kurama had still been performing odd jobs for him. Hiei had been working for Mukuro, travelling back and forth to Human World. Kuwabara had concentrated on his education and Yusuke had moved back to Human World after settling his affairs. The only missions Yusuke had were for his own benefit, such as checking up on his affairs in demon world.

"Yes, that is if everyone agrees to it," Koenma glanced at both men before finishing, "however," he tossed Keiko a glance, but she was still chopping, "let's finish this discussion tomorrow, shall we?"

Glancing at Keiko, Yusuke felt red, hot guilt boiling in his stomach. Looking away, he didn't look forward to apologizing later, because he was never one for words.

"Ah," Kurama set his cup down, interrupting Yusuke's guilty thoughts, "Hiei is here."

Exasperatedly, Koenma threw up his hands, "finally! Now, I can finish my questions with him."

Kurama chuckled, "Koenma, couldn't you have asked him these questions later?"

"Yes, but," the prince spoke indignantly, "it's nice to have some time out of the office."

Koenma suspected Hiei had purposefully stayed out longer than he should have, because when sauntered in, he didn't make it a point to report to Koenma. Instead, Hiei went to a cabinet and reached for a cup.

"Well," Koenma chewed angrily on his pacifier, "now that you're _finally_ here, I can finish."

Hiei glanced over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. He was ready to retort back with some sarcastic remark, but then, there was a soft rumbling. In fact, if one weren't a demon, or someone who could detect the slightest disturbances, the rumbling would have gone unnoticed. As it is, every man in the room stiffened in alarm.

"Hiei," Koenma was already standing, "go."

The only acknowledgement he gave was by blurring away from sight. Hearing Koenma's demand, Keiko whirled around, only to witness Koenma vanishing with the swish of his robes. Wringing the dishtowel in her hands, she turned to Yusuke and Kurama. So caught up in her cooking and having been distracted with the fight, Keiko gazed worriedly about the room.

"Where's Karen?" she asked.

Yusuke tilted his head toward the window, "in the back –"

He tilted his head, as if he was listening, and then he was sprinting out the back door. Heading toward the hill, he searched down below, and there she was, sleeping at the very bottom. He crossed his arms and mumbled under his breath.

"I sensed her low energy," Kurama appeared next to him and nodded at Karen, "but she is only sleeping, which explains her low signals."

"Yeah but… ah, never mind," he scowled, "kids are a handful."

With that said, Yusuke set off down the hill. From behind him, Kurama heard Keiko approach cautiously. She didn't say anything at first, just watched Yusuke stalk off down the hill.

"Don't worry, Keiko," Kurama didn't bother looking at her, "Karen was just sleeping."

"Then why did Yusuke take off like that," she asked, suddenly a little angry, "he scared me!"

"Yusuke was just keeping track of Karen's energy while she was outside, but she fell asleep, and her energy levels dropped."

Keiko looked away from Kurama and stared at the scene below. Forgetting about the argument with Yusuke, she smiled as he picked Karen up. She heard him muttering 'told you that test was going to zap you out'.

Then, softly, she whispered, "he's scared." She inhaled, explaining her reasoning, even when Kurama didn't answer. "He sees how – how Kuwabara is and it scares him," her eyes watered, but she blinked away the gathering tears, "he won't tell me what's happening, but I-I don't think I want to know." Turning away, she headed back to the house, but not before saying over her shoulder, "just find her please."

* * *

Koenma shuffled quickly through a sheaf of papers, but none of it was of importance, none of it was what he needed to know. Swiveling in his chair, he grabbed another stack and began scanning the pages, searching for something to lessen his headache. When the papers, the piles of reports, didn't reveal anything, he angrily tossed them and they scattered onto the floor. There was a knock at the door and he glanced down. He wondered if he should pick up the papers, try to appear unflustered, but he was tired.

"Enter," he snapped while sitting up a little straighter.

A blue man emerged from behind the door and Koenma immediately slumped back in his chair. He didn't have to put in an appearance for this ogre.

"Yes, Jorge?" Koenma rubbed a hand over his face and groaned. "Please," he eyed the ogre with bleary eyes, "tell me you have good news."

"Sir, I do have some good news!" and he approached the desk with a grin.

"Jorge, this better be important," he really didn't think they're would be good news, because sometimes Jorge liked to tell him things that didn't pertain to work, "Yusuke and them will be here soon and I'm still going through all those charts."

"Oh, it's important sir! Ayame found the woman you've been searching for," then, slightly smug that he did, in fact, have good news, he smiled, "she's here."

"Why are you still standing here talking to me," demanded Koenma and his bloodshot eyes fixed onto the blue ogre's face, "bring her in – NOW!"

Jorge made a choking noise and hurried out of the room. He flashed Koenma a nervous grin when he backed against a nearby plant. His large toe scraped against the carpet and again he apologized. He accidently knocked a chair over. At this point, Koenma doubt he'd meet this woman tonight.

However, he was patient, waiting until Jorge finally made it out of the room before sagging against his desk. He hunched over and rested his head upon crossed arms. Taking a deep breath, he allowed his eyes to close. It was a brief nap, he was sure, because not two minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

Sitting up his seat, he dusted off the front of robes, checked for drool (surely, there wouldn't be any from such a short nap), and tried to appear as if he hadn't just taken a two minute nap. Once he felt presentable, he called out, and the door opened. He was ever the relax prince, or so he tried to appear, and awaited his guest. In she came, sauntering forward and meeting Koenma's calm gaze. She had one blue eye and one green eye; they were unique.

"It's been a while," greeted Koenma.

"Yes."


	13. Leave Me Breathless

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen- Leave Me Breathless

* * *

"So," Yusuke drawled out, staring intensely at Koenma, "what ya got?"

Koenma didn't answer at first. His face was blank. He did, however, reach for the remote and press a button. He seemed to be searching for a way to start the meeting.

"It's really too bad Hiei couldn't attend," Kurama commented, if only to give Koenma time to collect his thoughts.

Yusuke leaned back in his seat, glanced over at Kuwabara's quiet profile, and then looked away, as if he hadn't just shown any concern whatsoever. "Yeah, but someone had to stay behind. It's not like he could come anyways."

Like Yusuke, Kurama peered over at Kuwabara from underneath his lashes. The man didn't even seem to be paying attention to anyone. He was slouched in his seat, like Yusuke, but with arms crossed, and eyes staring blankly at the carpet. He didn't even flinch when the TV screen behind Koenma hissed from its descent.

"This," Koenma said, hushing the detectives and pointing at the first chart on the TV screen, "is the seismic waves from the first earthquake near Genkai's temple. And the other chart," he pointed at the second one saying, "is the seismic waves from today."

Kurama narrowed his eyes as he studied the charts, quickly comparing them. "They have the same pattern in the beginning, except the waves from today are a bit lower than before."

Koenma nodded, having stood to his feet and crossed over to the chart, "now, look at these charts."

Pressing another button, the screen changed in a flash. Several charts filled the screen, displaying red scratched lines all peaking up then streaking downwards.

"These are the charts from Demon World," answered Koenma once they looked over the charts. Then, because he wasn't sure Yusuke had made the connection, he further supplied, "and they have the _same_ pattern."

The charts kind of looked complicated and there was no index to tell Yusuke what every flashing line meant, but even he wasn't a complete idiot, and let them know with, "same pattern, same tremors, and same enemy."

Although he had already made the connection, Koenma asked him to elaborate. "Why do you think that?"

"Hokushin got a whiff of some demon right when the earthquakes started on my lands." Yusuke crossed his arms, appearing disgruntled before he murmured the rest of his sentence, "damn demon got away before Hokushin could even slap his bald head."

"And the slight tremor we felt earlier, we all felt the brief demon energy skirting several miles out." Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Kurama thought of Hiei, "Hiei is a fast demon, too fast, but this unknown demon vanished before he could come within a mile."

Then, to make himself heard too, Kuwabara grunted out, "and the alley where Shizuru's phone was found. It had an untraceable demon print."

They were all silent for a minute. Each man was going over the information in his head. Koenma studied the charts one last time, even if he had already spent hours gazing upon them, and finally clicked a button to send the screen away.

"Awhile back," Koenma paused to sit down behind his desk, "I said that the past could be coming into to play, do you remember?" he didn't look up from his hands to see if they hand remembered. "The reason I've been keeping this from you is because I had been instructed to keep the information as secret as possible –"

"By who!" exclaimed Yusuke hotly and he proceeded to crack his knuckles.

Koenma shook his head, not at all alarmed by Yusuke's threatening attitude, "you'll meet this person later." He then hardened his gaze and instructed more seriously, "listen carefully."

Before, Yusuke would have scoffed, said 'hell no', and probably closed his eyes for a nice snooze. However, he was much older and hopefully, a tiny bit more mature. So he settled in his chair and nodded for Koenma to continue.

"You know humans used to live alongside demons in Demon world," began Koenma. "I'm sure I've told you that both worlds used to be connected and I've explained that demons nearly killed off the human race. With nowhere else to go, the humans still left alive settled in Human world."

There was a slight interlude in the story, as Koenma took a minute to sip from his cup. Quenched, he clasped his hands and finished, "even though demons had taken over Demon World, there were still a few human villages that remained. Now, demons didn't know that humans could acquire energy like them, but I've said it many times – 'everyone has energy'." He'd be talking forever at this rate, so he brushed through the rest by saying, "I won't go into all of that again, but I want to talk about one ancient group – one group that had unique energy." He gave them a level stare, "Priestesses," he leaned forward, "and no, not the kind of virgin priestesses or those that use paper seals to ward off demons. These were almost like a race. They had _pure_ souls."

Kurama searched Koenma's face with a cynical stare, "what do you mean by pure?"

"Pure souls, as in, they have no evil within them, and it is a very rare trait. Everyone is born with some evil, because it has to do with balancing the energy."

Frowning, Yusuke asked, "and how does this tie in with all the earthquakes?"

Koenma held a hand up, ignoring him for a moment, "if pure is light then what is attracted to light?"

"Darkness," Kuwabara answered lamely, or so he thought, but he couldn't have hit the nail on the head harder.

"Darkness, as in evil," Kurama was murmuring, almost as if he were trying to solve a riddle, "as in, dark souls…"

"Don't make me use the running vagueness joke," accused Yusuke with crossed arms, "explain?"

For Yusuke's benefit, Koenma faced him. "Dark souls are attracted to light souls. One with enough corruption in their soul could tarnish one of a pure soul." Bowing his head, Koenma muttered, "I'm sure you could imagine that it was mostly demons that went after these priestesses with the full intent of corrupting them – most priestesses were healers, some were powerful, and all were worshipped."

"What happened, Koenma," asked Kuwabara when Koenma closed his eyes for a moment.

"There was a demon by the name of Cain and if you thought Sensui, Sakyo, or Toguro wanted to end mankind, well, Cain didn't just want to, he nearly succeeded." At the end of his statement, the words seemed to ring in the air with a malicious aura. "He was the most powerful demon of all time. He wanted to create a world of darkness. He wanted to be the ruler of every being. He had found that to do this, he must acquire more power and he turned to priestesses."

"He wanted their pure soul," answered Kurama before Yusuke could ask why Cain wanted priestesses.

Koenma confirmed Kurama's answer with a nod, "if one were able to acquire their energy, it would make them more powerful because it's _pure_. This pure energy is like the steroids humans use - only it's ten times more potent and permanent."

"He became too powerful," murmured Kurama, as he stared at the floor.

"But he didn't succeed, right," Yusuke glanced around the room, "because if he did, I don't think we'd be talking about this."

"It was the last generation of priestesses," explained Koenma, "they were dwindling – dying out, because Demon world was growing too evil and not even they could help balance the world. Cain had collected so many pure souls, he was nearly unstoppable, but there were a handful of priestesses left, and they chose the strongest among them to perform a ritual that would be enough to rid Cain – but before it could be completed, something went wrong."

"Did Cain – was he strong enough to stop this ritual," Kuwabara lifted his eyes curiously.

"No," answered Koenma, and then, "I don't know. This is very ancient information. In fact, most of it only comes from one source – a survivor from that day. According to them, there was a disturbance in the ritual and everything started falling apart. A rift opened up and everyone with Tamara died, save for Cain and one other – they were sucked into the rift."

"Only Cain and one other were sucked in?" asked Kurama.

Koenma nodded.

Kuwabara stared at Koenma, "who was the other?"

"The one who wanted me to keep this all from you, in fact, she was under oath to safeguard the secrets, but given the circumstances, she has agreed to reveal all she knows." Pressing for the intercom, Koenma leaned forward and said, "Ayame, send her in, please."

There was a knock and the men waited patiently for the survivor. The event had happened long ago, so it was to be expected that the survivor must be ancient and withered. However, when that door opened, there was no wrinkly woman, but a young, beautiful woman. She was tall and slender, seeming to possess an unnatural grace, like that of a prowling cheetah. But her beauty wasn't what was so breathtaking; it was her eyes – one blue eye and one green eye.

"Lena," introduced Koenma.

She didn't say anything, just crossed the room to take a seat. Despite being sullen, Kuwabara was ever the polite man and scooted over to offer the seat beside him.

Eyes raking Lena's appearance, Kurama commented, "Koenma, you mentioned once that this was before your time, meaning centuries, correct? How is this possible," he tilted his head in Lena's direction, "if it had been centuries. She's human."

Before Koenma could speak, Lena turned to Kurama, "if you meaning my young appearance, it was the rift that caused it. I am afraid that my cells were altered and have caused me to not age."

"Wait," Yusuke exclaimed, scrambling to sit straighter in his chair, "if she made it out, then what about that Cain guy?"

"I am not sure if he made it," informed Lena, as she answered for Koenma. "The rift turned me into stone and I was tossed to another location. I was frozen for centuries."

"Why were you present the day Tamara had performed the ritual against Cain?" asked Kurama. He wasn't wasting time learning about appearances.

Lena's soft voice carried across the room. "I was helping to protect Tamara that day. Tamara – she was my twin sister," she glanced up, "and I was her guardian."

"What's a guardian?" Yusuke was desperately trying to remember everything, but it was all just piling up in his head.

"A guardian was a priestess's chosen protector," she answered smoothly. "A priestess picked guardians and once they accepted, they accompanied the priestess everywhere. I was her high guardian, meaning I was able to accompany her in the prayer room, if she chose to attend a temple."

"Is that where these priestesses performed those rituals?"

"Yes. There were once many temples, some were even built in a priestess's honor, but that was long ago." Lena bowed her head and her earrings clicked softly. "The main temples had a prayer room and it was the most sacred room that only a priestess and her high guardian may enter."

Kuwabara wonder about the temples and echoed his question from earlier. "What happened to them?"

"Something went wrong and the rift opened up as Tamara was performing the ritual. When they realized she had failed, the last priestesses performed one last ritual to hide every known temple. I saw them before the rift closed. The entire temple was falling around them and they remained to be sunk into the ground with the temple. It was a backup plan should they have failed."

"In the ground," uttered Kurama. He found it hard to believe they were in the ground and said, "Lena, wouldn't someone have stumbled across these temples?"

"No, the ritual hid them well. If one were to dig into the ground where a temple was, they would merely find dirt. It is an illusion."

"The earthquakes," Yusuke nearly shouted. By golly, he had finally caught on, "these earthquakes are being caused by those temples!"

Koenma nodded quickly. "It would seem so, because it happened on Yomi's land and he had the waves recorded. Once the tremors died down, a temple emerged and according to the reports, it's still emerging."

Kurama massaged his temple. "All the seismic wave locations," he was getting a headache, "they're all sites of the temples."

"I know you never said this – and priestess just sounds kind of girly – but were all priestesses' women?" Yusuke waited for Koenma to nod and when he did, he swept a hand through his hair. "And so these missing chicks… you think someone is trying to bring this all back, thinking they're priestesses? Makes sense, but the only one who knew about it was you," Yusuke eyed Lena, "and Cain."

"Lena would never have betrayed her sister, which is why I believe Cain is still alive," replied Koenma in a grave voice.

"Do not say that," hissed Lena. She was glaring hatefully at Koenma and it startled the reinstated spirit detectives to see her display such anger.

"Lena, I must consider that he is alive. He was the only other one to have information about this and he must have awakened from his frozen state."

"If he is, then your world will face darkness unlike anything you have ever seen." The cruel words caused Kuwabara to shiver, but he hid it well by crossing his arms. "Maybe that is why the temples are trying to emerge," she was pacing now and muttering to herself, "they were only supposed to awaken once the world had need of priestesses again."

"But this was all a long time ago," reasoned Kuwabara with another shiver, "and Koenma said that priestesses are extinct."

"Not exactly," corrected Koenma. "They died out, yes, because of the ritual the last priestesses performed, but it didn't only hide the temples. It also hid every priestess born after them – remember, Tamara was the last hope, but she died. They thought Cain was going to win, so they performed a ritual to hide everything and," his eyes soften in Lena's direction, "they killed themselves – I think that's what caused the rift. The world was unbalanced and when all the priestesses were gone, something ripped in the world. Cain's evil was perhaps enough to stop the rift from sucking in the world."

"How did he collect their soul?" Kurama tried to keep the ominous silence from taking over. "I take it he tarnished it in a way?"

"Yes." Lena glanced at the floor. "Cain corrupted their soul. He could get into their head, any head, and tear one from the inside out. He was very manipulative. You see, priestesses cannot hate, not like normal people. They could get angry, mad, but true hate, they cannot have, because they always forgive. Cain he," she licked her lips, "he did things, horrible things. He killed their love ones. He could reverse every memory they had into pure evil. He tortured them, physically and mentally. However, all of those," she appeared grave, "anyone can do. Even humans can corrupt a soul and gather it. They might not know how, but if they were evil enough – it would be instinct."

Then, the ominous silence finally stretched around the group. Outside, feet thudded past the door. Shouts echoed in the hallways, something about reports, who wants buy lunch, and did you hear about Jim – normal topics.

"What do we do?" Yusuke sliced through the silence, "cause' I'm not about to let someone just take women like that – even if this isn't Cain, we still need to find them. And if is Cain, then we –"he let his words hang in the air, unsure of what else to add to it.

"We organize," Koenma finished for him, "we organize and prepare." Lifting his head, he said, "Yusuke, will you check out your lands – see if you have temples out there? We're still trying to set up scanners. I'll give you some to set on your land so they can relay data back to us."

"Yeah, I can do that," he nodded, "I needed to check up on it anyways."

"And I'll visit Yomi," added Kurama.

Koenma nodded to Kurama, but added to his visit, "and I'd like for you to see Mukuro too, since Hiei can't at the moment – his connection has stretched greatly and he was able to reach all the way to the outer limits of Tokyo from Hakone, but it hasn't stretched far enough for a trip to Demon world."

"What about the pure souls, the priestesses?" asked Kurama. "If this is all true, then how would we find them? They'll need our help and protection."

"Unless you're trained to find them, which none of us are," Lena indicated to the group, "then you would have a lot of trouble. I'm not a priestess, but I did share my sister's bond, and I may be able to detect a priestess." She glanced at Koenma, "as you can gather, a priestess was kind, gentle, and innocent, but some were fierce fighters – they had powers." Then, "if any more temples appear, it could draw them out. They can feel them – I'll check out any temples and see if I can locate any special women."

"While she's doing that, I'm bringing in some other people to work on this –"

"Not the SDF, Koenma," complained Yusuke with a loud sigh, "I hate those guys."

"No, this is a new group." He smiled. "My group – I call them SWAT and they'll be looking into the women's disappearances closely. Meanwhile," he turned to Kuwabara, "I want you to check out a few of the locations were the tremors and earthquakes have been occurring in Human world. Report anything else that you may sense."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow, "by the way, what is SWAT? SWAT as in –"

"Spirit World Attack Team," exclaimed Koenma with a mad sparkle in his eyes, "I came up with the name myself."

With that, the meeting was over, because the spirit detectives didn't want to hear all the details about Koenma's group. As long as they did a good job, then why would they stay and listen for another two hours of useless information? Koenma was a bit bum. He expected them ask what his team specialized in, but he should have known they would want to leave once all the bad news was over with.

Once the spirit detectives were gone, Lena was the last to leave. Before she closed the door behind her, she tossed over her shoulder, "I'm only doing this because I promised her…"

"I know."

"Genkai says you're paying for the construction of her temple," she hid her smile, "if you wanted to know."

"Genkai would have me pay for a great many things."

"Are you not going to mention to them that it was Genkai who found me sixty-five years ago?"

Folding his hands beneath his chin, Koenma gave a little grin, "no. You two were just friends before all this. Besides, if I did that, Yusuke would go bugging her and she'd have me pay for something else."

* * *

Sometimes, one is lucky to catch someone off guard. When that happens, it's best to observe. I felt like I was in a safari and here, before me, was a spotted leopard. I was watching this leopard pace back and forth. But no, it was just Yusuke. However, he was pacing and quite furiously too. He kept fiddling in his pocket, muttering to himself ("she'll probably just laugh – she won't like it), glancing up the stairs (where I was sitting, unnoticed by him), and then he'd shake his head.

After twenty minutes, I was about to ask him what was bothering him. He obviously had something on his mind. Giving advice wasn't my strong point, but I could lend an ear, if he wanted one. I opened my mouth to ask when he froze. Very slowly, he pulled out a tiny, black box. Recognizing the box, I couldn't help but gasp.

As if he had been burned, he fumbled with the box. He caught the box at the last second and quickly pocketed. I was ready to bolt up to my room when he glared up at me. If I put the bed against the door, it might hold him off until I could jump out the window. Quickly, he seemed to calm down and walked over to me. Innocent as can be, I glanced at my nails. I almost sighed in relief when he passed by me, but then he turned, and stood on the step I was sitting upon.

"How long have you been sitting there," he asked casually while toeing my arm with a sock covered foot.

I rubbed at my arm playfully, "I've _been_ sitting here!" Nodding up the stairs, I finished explaining, "I've been here since Keiko went to pack your clothes."

"What," he blinked in surprise, "really – I didn't even notice," then he began babbling under his breath, "I must be getting old – can't even sense – no, I'm just distracted, that's all –"

He was nervous it seemed and now it was affecting his head. Clearing my throat, I decided to ask him again what was wrong. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Never mind, never mind," he waved his in dismissal.

"Well," I made to stand and leave him, "I'm going –"

"Wait," grabbing my arm, he shoved me back down. Running a hand through his hair, he paced on the small step behind me, stopped, grimaced, and then finally plopped down beside me. "I'm just – well, you know Keiko – we, you know – I was just going to –"he promptly closed his mouth in defeat.

Grinning coyly, I couldn't help but ask, "Yusuke, are you going to propose to Keiko –"

"Shh," he slapped a hand over my mouth, "not so loud!"

When he removed his hand, I waited for him to acknowledge my comment. Once again, he was nervously doing the half glances over his shoulder and muttering under his breath. After each glance and mutter, he'd peek over at me. His mouth opened several times, but he would blush and look away.

"Okay," I whispered seriously, because I knew what he wanted to ask, "let me see."

He sighed with relief and whipped the box out. Handing it over, his eyes flew up to my face. Ignoring his gaze, I took my time opening the box. The ring was beautiful. The band was gold and had a flutter of glistening diamonds. This ring was perhaps, the only ring I would ever hold – I seriously doubt I'd ever find someone to marry me. It was the prettiest thing I would ever hold in my hands.

Toeing the step below us, he asked, "_well?"_

Closing the box, I handed it back. "Yusuke, it's –"

"What?" he whispered nervously, "what, Karen? Are the diamonds big enough – because Kuwabara was supposed to help me pick one out, but he bailed! Kurama bailed on me, too – and I went alone! There was so many and all those stupid clerks were hounding me, so I had to kick them around a bit. I think it'll fit," he grabbed my hand, "what size is your finger?"

"Yusuke, whoa, calm down," I pulled my hand away and grabbed his shoulders, "the ring is beautiful, okay," dropping my hands, I smiled in encouragement, "and what do you mean 'are the diamonds big enough'? The size of the diamonds won't matter, trust me."

Rubbing his neck, Yusuke nodded glumly, "yeah, I know. I'm just nervous."

"Yusuke," I decided to ask, because I was curious, "if you've known Keiko for a long time and well you live with her and stuff – how come you two haven't married yet? I thought you guys already were and everything, what with the adoption papers."

"Koenma fixed the papers to say we were hitched," he explained while avoiding my question.

We sat there in silence. I wished there was something I could do to boost his confidence. He was a nervous wreck, just sitting there and eyeing the box in his hand. Upon closer inspection, his eyes were gleaming with… sadness?

Keiko once told me that she waited for three years for Yusuke to come back from Demon world. She said she nearly died doing so. She wanted to hate him, but every time she tried, she fell in love even more. It always made her sad to think he would choose such a lifestyle over a life with her, but in the end, she said the world was always going to need Yusuke. And if that was the case, she would continue waiting for him each time he went out the door.

Deciding to speak my piece, if it would make him feel better, I cleared my throat again. "Yusuke, you don't have to be scared." Immediately, he whipped his head around and his eyes hardened. I leaned away, wondering if I had said something wrong. Frazzled, I stuttered out, "I-I didn't mean it that way, you know? I just meant you don't have to be scared of asking Keiko." I swallowed before finishing, "Keiko, well, she's strong and –"

Abruptly, he wrapped his arms around me. It wasn't the gentlest hug in the world, because my chin bumped against his shoulder. However, it was a good, strong hug. It was hurried and rash, just like Yusuke.

"I didn't want to hurt her again," he sighed near my head, "every time I leave – it's not fair to her. I guess I was giving her a chance to find someone better, someone who wasn't going to keep saying goodbye."

I stared off to the side, chewing my lip for something to say. I could only wish he wasn't going to break down and say 'know what, I'm not going to marry her now after what you said'. I was simply offering a bit of comfort.

"You're right though, kid. She is tough."

At those words, I instantly perked up.

"But if you ever tell anyone how I just acted," he ended the hug to shake a finger in my face, "I'll ground you!"

I laughed nervously, as I remembered blurting out to Keiko about Yusuke wearing her apron. Geeze, was Yusuke ever going to forgive me for that?

A door slammed shut behind us and we both parted away, trying to appear cool. I barely had time to back against the wall when Keiko charged down the stairs (she even stepped on my toe!). She didn't seem to notice that she had nearly barrel into us. Reaching the bottom, she glanced around for us.

"Oh my," she jumped once Yusuke cleared his throat, "I didn't see you guys there!"

"Keiko, I could've packed it myself," grumbled Yusuke.

Keiko smiled, shaking her head. "No, no. You always forget something."

"Yeah," answered Yusuke while rolling his eyes. "Anyways, we should get going. You have your final tomorrow and I don't want to keep you out all night."

"Right," she replied sadly once Yusuke collected the duffel bag from her.

There were supposed to have dinner tonight at one of their favorite restaurants. It was their get-together-time before Yusuke's departure tonight. After dinner, he would be leaving for Demon world and he never said how long he was going to be away. Already, Keiko's eyes were dimming with worry and I could not bear to watch her sadness. Tonight was going to be a good night for her!

"Yusuke's right," I jumped up excitedly. "Big test tomorrow, Keiko!" she blinked in surprise when I started leading her to the door. "Don't you know I want to have a little house party," I joked and she smiled in amusement, "anyways, I want you guys to have fun at the restaurant."

Keiko laughed, patting my hand. "All right, but remember, there are leftover gyozas in the refrigerator."

"Yep, and I know all the emergency numbers," I replied playfully with a roll of my eyes. "I got this, Keiko."

I held the door open for them and they sauntered through the doorway. The night was cool and the shadows were splashing over the couple. When a moonbeam slid over Yusuke face, it hit me that he was going somewhere far away, where danger may or may not be, and this parting had no known outcome.

I had known him for a few months now, had lived with him for a little over two months, and within that short time frame, we had all bonded. We did the family dinners, which was sometimes random, sometimes filled with laughter, and sometimes filled with Yusuke and Keiko's bickering. We had a few family nights ("hey, Keiko, I saw that. Don't think you can cheat!", "Yusuke, this is just checkers!", "Karen, c'mon on – help me out.", "And get on Keiko's bad side? No way – you made me pick up all those soup cans!", "No, I didn't? Did I, Hiei?", "Hn.").

We once made the trip to Mt. Fuji and it rained so bad, people were running to their cars. But we stayed because Yusuke locked the keys in the car. The entire time it was raining and Keiko and Yusuke argued for an eternity over how to get the keys out, because he wanted to bust in the window, and she wanted to keep from ruining the car. I thought it was the funniest event of my entire life, but Hiei said it was the most annoying day of his life.

We had a little family thing going on, didn't we? And now, it was breaking apart.

Keiko's worry washed over me and I reached out, stopped, and pulled my hand back. I settled for a smile and searched for a few last words. He would probably think it was too weird if I hugged him. He would probably think I was silly for thinking, in passing, that he was already like a, like a –

Pulling me toward him, he gave me another one-arm, awkward hug and ruffled the top of my head with his other hand.

"Those test scores," he whispered, just low enough for me to hear, "don't worry about them, okay?"

I didn't know what to say, but felt the need to give a little nod against his chest. He smelled like soap and a splash of some spicy cologne. They were familiar and comfortable scents.

"Don't let Keiko worry too much."

I nodded again, but with more purpose.

Then, he turned and walked away. He didn't like goodbyes. Keiko hovered there, staring fondly after him. Forcing a quick smile on my face, I ushered her out the door again.

"Hey," I reminded her, "date, remember? I'll have your books out and ready for when you come home – don't forget to have fun! It's a _special _night!"

I really did want them to have a good night. Already I cared for them as if I had always known them. It was kind of amazing and frightening to already love them like they really were my –

"Enough of that, Karen," I whispered to myself. "You're too grown to think like that…"

Sighing, I closed the door before any stray insect could launch itself inside. The door clicked shut and the entire room was flooded in darkness. Someone had obviously turned off the one lamp that was lit earlier. It was probably Keiko. She was always trying to conserve energy and something about how Yusuke apparently didn't know how to flip a switch. Of course, after that, she would start prattling, once again, about how Yusuke always forgot to pay the electricity and phone bill ("It's a wonder we have any credit!").

Blindly, I scooted forward across the room, because the light switch, for some odd reason, was near the stairs. I managed to avoid bumping into anything dangerous, like the pretty, coffee table near the couch. Hands out, I finally found the wall. I fumbled around in search of the switch until the wall seemed to quiver.

I froze. I didn't breathe. Ideas flashed and warning bells shrilled in alarm. Inside, a ball of air was churning up my stomach, throat –

I screamed.

Once the scream ripped from my throat, I pushed the intruder with surprising strength. Whirling around, I headed for the door, not caring that it was dark, too dark to see the pretty, coffee table or the stand of picture frames. I tripped over something – a stray shoe. Catching myself, I saw the moonlight peeking from around the cracks of the front door.

"Gr-ah-ah!" the words flew out of my mouth in a startled grunt-gasp-scream, as the intruder wrapped an arm around my waist and yanked back with brutal force. I twisted violently against the steel-like arms and the act was just enough to send us tumbling onto the ground.

Once the rolling stopped, I realized I was on top. Wasting no time, I began pummeling my fists against the intruder's chest. A hand grabbed my wrist. There was a loud growl. I tugged away. Then, the lights flickered on from the lamp on the ground beside us.

"Hiei, I-I –" I stiffened in horror, because he was seething up at me.

I nearly fainted when my eyes took in our position. My legs were splayed on either side of his hips. I was pressed against, practically plastered against the front of his chest. His lips twisted into a scowl and I recoiled, because our faces were inches apart.

Still reeling in fear and adrenaline, I began babbling. "Why did you scare me like that? You could have announced who you were or give me some sort of warning! I thought someone was trying to kidnap me!"

Grabbing a hold of my thighs for leverage, he pushed us into an awkward, intimate, sitting position, but there was no intimacy in his voice, just venomous anger. "Who the hell would kidnap you," he growled the words rudely, "no one is going to waste their time doing such an absurd thing!"

"Why do you always have to act like this?" A lump formed in my throat, because his words were like a knife cutting into skin. "You're mean," I murmured, unable to call him a great number of colorful expressions.

"Mean," his red eyes glittered with mockery, "come now, at least try to use more elaborate words – Try cruel, better yet, malicious, you foolish girl."

Tired of his uncaring attitude, I slammed my hand against his chest, "you jerk – y-you're just –"

With a growl, he swatted away my hands, as if they were mere flies, something too weak to cause any damage. His hands settled at my sides, those long fingers digging in painfully. I winced.

"If you can't think of anything better to toss at me then you are pathetic –"

"_Don't!"_ I yelled and the admission had tears pooling at the edges of my eyes.

I hated how he could burrow under my skin so easily. I hated how he could hurt me with just his words. Small, insignificant words shouldn't hurt so much, but he could twist them cruelly with his lovely voice.

I tried. I tried every day to make this relationship work. I tried being a friend even when he clearly didn't want friendship. I was trying so hard, but he was always angry.

Some days, it seemed, he was tolerant of my presence. Some days, he would recoil away in disgust. He was cruel, malicious, and every other unpleasant word. He was fire forever burning, but in the center, it was a cave of ice. His eyes held the brightest flames, but they held shards of ice at the edges.

He confused me to no end.

I inhaled shakily, trying to keep from disgusting him farther. Tears threatened to fall, but I wasn't going to embarrass myself further by him seeing them. Turning my head, I made to move. I wanted to go to my room and hide from the glare that was surely on his face. In a mockery, he held me in place. His hands flew up to turn my face to his cruel eyes. In an effort to save myself, I clenched my eyes shut until he disappeared from sight.

"Karen."

That one word had my eyes flying open in shock. He had said my name. For the first time, he had said my name. I studied his eyes to see if he was really Hiei. They were red, like always. They were blank and emotionless.

"I don't understand you," he murmured and even while inches apart, the words were almost unrecognizable.

His gaze hardened after those words. I watched curiously, as they seemed to come to life. The flames were stirring while they flickered from my eyes, nose, and then on my lips.

"W-what," I stuttered as the distance between our faces lessened, "are you doing?"

He was leaning in closely. I could count his eyelashes. I could see every fleck of red. I could feel the heat of his entire body. He didn't blink. Unknowingly, he was drowning me with his fire.

Fire burns. As pretty as the flames are, if you're not careful, you will forget to breathe. Flames are not breathable, you see.


	14. Look Into Our Lives

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen- Look Into Our Lives

* * *

If he had not stopped, I would have gone up in ash.

Fortunately, he only leaned in close enough to rest his forehead against mine. The world swam back into focus and a gush of air entered my lungs. I clutched at his shirt to wait for my heart to beat properly, because it was slamming around, like a caged lion. I was terrified and excited. I was confused as hell. I was a great many things.

Needing to confirm reality or at least, know I wasn't alone, I let out a shaky, "H-Hiei?"

"Shut up," he murmured in such a low, gruff-like voice that I shivered.

Feeling faint, I tried to let him know to let go. "Hiei –"

"Shut," he tilted my head to the side, "up," and his breath feathered out the words, but they were still hostile. His hand wrapped around my throat. I could feel his thumb pressing against my jaw and the pressure was biting harshly. Then, the agony was replaced with his hot breath –

He stiffened. Quickly, he shoved me off with a grunt. Standing carefully, I glared over at him with a humiliating blush. He was once again the uncaring demon.

"Yukina," he announced without looking at me.

I almost asked what he meant, but a car door slammed outside. There was a raspy voice saying something about Yusuke needing to fix that pothole at the end of the driveway. Another voice, soft and musical, was admiring the potted plant Keiko had set on the porch.

I glanced over at Hiei one last time and he was picking the lamp up with a scowl. Forcing a smile on my face, I walked unsteadily to the door. My legs were quivering!

"Y-Yukina," I stammered, "Kuwabara, this is a," swallowing, I forced my voice to still, "surprise. How are you guys?"

"We're lovely." Yukina flashed her cheerful smile, "Keiko said she and Yusuke went out, but we wanted to visit anyways. Would that be all right?"

Beside her, Kuwabara merely smiled, but the smile was a mask. It was more for my benefit than his actual cheerfulness. I wondered at the tight-lipped smile, but to comment would be rude.

Clearing my suddenly dry throat, I nodded. "Sure, I mean," they didn't have to ask and I told them so, "this isn't really my house – but come in!"

"Thought we'd visit the Shrimp, too," muttered the tall man.

"Still insist on that name, idiot," answered a cold voice just over my shoulder.

Hiei stood beside me and appeared his usual cool, distant self. In fact, he appeared bored, as if moments ago, he had not just sent me into a series of heart attacks. I was astonished to be standing.

"Likewise, Hiei," Kuwabara snapped while guiding Yukina inside.

Closing the door, I took a deep, comforting breath to compose myself. Turning slowly, I forced another grin on my face.

"I brought some daifuku," replied the tiny woman. "It's great with hot, green tea. Perhaps, I can make some?"

"Sure," I took dish and moved toward the kitchen, "come on, the kitchen is this way."

Yukina was admiring the living room and dished out several praises. Distracted, I could only nod my head, but I think a few words left my mouth. I did remember saying something about Keiko designing the living room after some catalog. Politely, Kuwabara held the door open for us.

"Shrimp," called Kuwabara, as I stepped over the threshold, "outside?"

"Hn."

Setting the dish upon the table, I glanced through the kitchen doorway to the front door. Just before the door slid shut, Hiei's red eyes glittered at me. It was a warning to pull myself together. Huffing, I scowled back at him.

Jerk.

* * *

Yusuke lazily swirled his water around with a gentle twist of his wrist. Casually, he stared over the rim of his glass to look his fill over his companion. She was focused on the menu, evident from how her lips pursed to the side, as she concentrated on the items. His eyes moved up to admire how the light glinted off her hair, which was still tightly wound with bobby pins to keep the French twist in place. If he had time (even though he already done so last night), he would be yanking out those pins and running his rough hands through those silky tresses. His hand twitched and he had to tear his eyes away for a moment to keep from doing such an act in a rather public place.

A soft, slender hand slid over his wrist, "Yusuke?"

"Huh?" his eyes snapped back to her face and he made the effort to sit up a little straighter. She was always going on about how his slouching was going to affect his height.

Apparently, he had dazed off again, because she laughed, "Yusuke, you keep spacing out on me." Her laughter was joyous, something he seemed to hear no matter how far away he went. "You're face," Keiko grinned humorously, "gets this goofy look when you do that."

He tried to appear affronted by scowling sourly, "wow, it's nice to know what you think of me."

"Yusuke, that's not what I mean," she blushed, trying to search for the right words, "I think y-you're –"

Letting her sentence trail off, she fixed him with a look of her own. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but she was leaning in closely. He could his reflection in her eyes. The brown irises, so like his own, were shining with a light he could never mimic.

"… beautiful," she finished.

For a long moment, he didn't understand, but when he did, he was throwing his head back in laughter. She scowled angrily at him, reached across the table, and swatted at his muscled arm.

"Hey," she hissed through her teeth, swatting his arm again when he only laughed louder. The other diners were staring curiously at the couple, but neither one cared. "I was being serious!"

"It's just," he flicked a tear from the corner of his eyes, "aren't I supposed to tell you that?"

"Men can be beautiful," she replied coolly.

"What?" Yusuke snapped playfully, even managing to narrow his eyes in mock anger, "you think other men are beautiful – I thought I was the only beautiful man in your life!"

She laughed sarcastically. "Well, apparently, you don't say it enough, so I'll have to take that lead!"

A wicked a gleam entered his eyes, as he lowered his voice, "I seem to recall saying it just last night."

Pink colored her cheeks in a pretty blush, but she quickly forced it away with a gleam of her own. "Hah, but who had the lead, Yusuke?" Then, to add further insult and steer them away from the conversation, which was getting a little too steamy now, she said in her most criticizing voice, "never mind, you look sour now in this lighting. What was I thinking?"

Yusuke gasped loudly and slapped a hand against his chest, appearing to be one of great pain. She giggled at his humorous display. When she went to remove her hand from his wrist, which she only now remembered she had never removed, he quickly captured it with his hand. Turning her hand over, he allowed his other hand to brush his fingers across her palm.

"You know, when I was a bratty teen, I never thought about anyone but myself," he said in low voice, but to her, it was loud and clear. "To think it took me getting hit by a car, a Demon Tournament, and a cranky old woman's death to make me see…"

She leaned forward again to stop him, "Yusuke, I don't need words of comfort when you leave now," and she didn't. She was strong enough to bear the pain of waiting for him. "You always come back – You told me that, remember?"

Yusuke squeezed her hands. "Yeah, I know that. Keiko, but I'm trying to tell you that you've – well, I just think something is long overdue now."

"Yusuke," she yanked her hand away to scold him. "Did you forget to pay the electricity again?"

Scowling, Yusuke bit out, "no! Honestly, you drill the bill rule into my head so many times, you've even got Karen reminding me – never mind about that," he suddenly waved his hand to dismiss his annoyance. Reaching in his pocket, he nervously shoved the black box across the table, "just here –take it."

She tried not to appear too excited, because she didn't want to believe it was what she had been waiting for her entire life. Still, her fingers trembled. She almost dropped the box, as she flipped the lid back. It could have been a string and she would have accepted, but this was a band with real diamonds. It was a beautiful ring. It was her ring. She had a ring now.

"I spent a day barking at those annoying jewelry people, so don't be mad if it's not great," he grumbled under his breath. "It's like a war dealing with them you know and –"

Whatever he had been ready to complain about was lost the moment Keiko launched herself across the table. She grabbed the front of his shirt, hauling him toward her to meet halfway. He lost count of all the heated kisses. He didn't even care that people were staring. He didn't even care when his hand reach up to tug at her hair.

"You idiot," she whispered against his lips. "It's so, so, so beautiful, Yusuke."

He smirked in response, "that was easier than I imagined."

* * *

"I'm asking Yukina to marry me."

Hiei glared furiously at Kuwabara, but it was wasted, because the tall man already knew the answer. Hiei even said as such with the expected venom. "Idiot, you know better than to ever demand such a thing."

Kuwabara chuckled, "never stops me from trying."

On a more serious matter, Kuwabara pulled out a tiny device from his pocket. He looked over a moment, spotted a piece of lint, flicked the lint away, and then tossed it over to the demon. Without looking, Hiei caught the device with a flick of his hand.

"New communicator device," informed Kuwabara. "It's smaller and self-sticks onto the back of your cell so Koenma can communicate through your cell now."

Hiei grunted in response.

"More convenient or whatever," the still, taller man mumbled. "It's better than using those girly, mirror things."

Conversation done with, Kuwabara turned to head inside. Hiei waited, but already knew what the equally stubborn man was going to say. He always said it to him and he was growing immune to hear it. He would never give his permission.

"I'll keep asking you know."

"Hn."

* * *

A man dressed in a black hooded coat kneeled to the ground. Beneath the fabric, his muscles tensed as he waited to be acknowledged. The lower part of his face revealed tan flesh while the upper part was shrouded in shadows.

"Takeo," greeted a cold voice.

"Master," answered Takeo with his head still bowed.

"You may stand, Takeo."

Takeo heeded the command, but kept his head slightly bowed.

"Perhaps, you could remove your hood. I believe it courteous when in my presence."

Smirking slightly, Takeo reached up and slid his hood from his face. His cold gray eyes glinted past brown bangs. He waited a solid minute before lifting his eyes to Master, as one did not simply meet Master's eyes until they had calmed themselves. Master was sitting in the shadows and tapping at the armrest of his chair with apparent ease. Then, he shifted. Leaning forward, Master's cool, green eyes pierced through the darkness to regard Takeo with a casual gaze.

"The new arrivals have been contained, Master." Takeo wanted to look away, but already he was caught up in the sinister eyes.

"Do any of them show signs?"

Takeo answered calmly, "one, Master."

"Who," Master asked with a drum of his fingers.

"A young girl of twelve, Master."

"Good." Master chuckled and the laughter echoed within the room.

"What of the other women, Master?"

"Let them keep on with what they are doing," he shrugged. Leaning back in his chair, he suddenly seemed bored now. "Begin the mind control for the new arrivals. There is no reason to waste such weak life forms." He was fading back into his shadows. "Have the new women scattered about tonight, as they are doing quite a job of bringing in other women."

"Anything else, Master?" asked Takeo before he slipped on his hood.

"Yes, I want half of the women to be sent to our western base. This America does not have as much commotion as it does here." Master's voice dropped. "It will not be long before the temples emerge, now that we have a proper girl."

Although, he knew he should wait before being released, Takeo was already turning away. He was able to brush off Master's mind control more easily than most of the other demons. And he constantly reminded Master of it by acting against Master's _courteous _rules. But Master was getting lost in his thoughts again and did not care to reprimand Takeo when the half-breed strode out of the room.

"Not long at all," Master whispered in the dark.

* * *

It was raining. This act of nature seemed to mock my mood, too. I was cloudy like the sky. I was confused like the ground, because they couldn't seem to contain the water seeping through the cracks. I was lost like the puddles forming, never still, as the rain fell onto the surface. I was also very bored.

Keiko wasn't home. She wouldn't be home for another two hours. I was alone, like a majority of the day, as I had been for weeks, because I was avoiding Hiei. It took me the better part of an entire day before I could breathe properly again after that _incident_. The other days, weeks, were needed to mull over my feelings. They were jumbled. They didn't make sense. I was confused and strangely scared for what had happened.

Tired of being indoors, I strode over to my closet. It may be raining, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I wanted to think about something other than Hiei and being in the rain might allow my head to breathe.

It was hard enough seeing him at dinner, which was the only time I ever had to see him, because Keiko always made it a point for us to eat together. How she managed to get Hiei to do anything was a huge feat in itself. It was difficult, knowing I was alone with him for hours out of the day. Despite all that, I knew I would have to face him again.

I wasn't stupid. Clearly, I felt something for him. I didn't know if it was because of our connection or if it was because he was the only man I had even been around with constantly, but the feelings, _heat_, was there all the same. I did know one thing.

He was breathtaking.

Shaking my head, I headed downstairs.

* * *

"Thanks for watching after her."

Shizuru glanced up from beneath dirty, lank bangs and eyed the hardened gaze of Naomi's mother. She was a strong woman, apparent by how cold her eyes seemed, but when they landed over on Naomi, they softened with the concern of a mother. She was tall, like Shizuru, and carried herself with independence. This woman had seen a thing or two.

Shizuru followed Naomi's mother's gaze and eyed the girl they were both protecting. Naomi was with the younger girls and struggling to heave a lump of coal into a large boiler. She was small, but like her mother, she was a fighter. Unlike both women, Naomi also managed to keep smiling, which was shown by the grin she flashed another girl that had fallen on the ground. Hurrying over, Naomi quickly pulled her to her feet.

"I don't mind," murmured Shizuru, as she turned back to the dishes she was scrubbing.

Without looking, Naomi's mother handed her another dish and said, "I'm Kaza, Yumi."

Shizuru kept her head down to appear as if they were not talking and replied back, "Kuwabara, Shizuru."

"Have you heard the rumors?" whispered Yumi after a casual glance over her shoulder to make sure no guards were loitering near them, "what they're planning on doing?"

"Yeah, they're moving us." She narrowed her eyes in brief anger, but took it out on scrubbing the filthy dishes. "Do you know where?"

Yumi glanced quickly at her daughter. "I heard the States – something about it being too crowded here," then, she lowered her voice even more, "if they are, they're going to move by cell groups." Yumi clenched the dishes tightly in her hands and Shizuru was astounded to hear them creak a little. "I heard them talking yesterday upstairs – we all won't be moved."

Shizuru paused in her scrubbing, as she caught onto Yumi's message. She raised her head and eyed the fear hovering at the edges of the strong woman's eyes. They both shared a long, understanding look.

"I'll watch over her."

Yumi's shoulders sagged in relief. "Thank you."

"It doesn't make sense," hissed Shizuru suddenly, as she eyed the group of small girls running back and forth to chuck gloves into the large burners. "They're working us like slaves."

"Yes, but haven't you noticed the way they watch us," asked Yumi. They both glanced about, but quickly resumed their tasks when a guard turned his head near their group. "They're searching for something among us. It's like they're pushing us to make something happen."

Shizuru gave the woman a sideways glance and noticed that even though Yumi was working just as hard, she was always aware of her surroundings. "Detective," asked Shizuru.

"A cop," she murmured back with a slight smirk, "elite task force, actually," then she frowned, "not that it does any good with our predicament." She paused then and glanced over at her, "what about you?"

"A former hair stylist," she replied.

"I would never have guessed that." Then, Yumi hardened her eyes, "do you think we'll get out of here?"

Looking over at Naomi, Shizuru smiled. "If not, I think we'll both make sure she gets out."

* * *

Keiko hummed quietly to herself while exiting from the post office. She shuffled through the letters, found a warning notice from the electric company about the past due amount (she shook her head at that), there was her favorite shopping catalog, a school letter for Karen, new coupon leaflet – she gasped and went back to the letter for Karen. The envelope was bulging from its contents and she grinned. The thicker the envelope, the better the news and she suddenly couldn't wait to give it to Karen.

She practically skipped to her car, glancing at Karen's school letter fondly. Arranging the letters so Karen's was on top, she placed them in her purse and prepared to unlock her car. While she fumbled with the keys, a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Botan!" she gasped in alarm at seeing the blue, haired woman.

"Sorry if I scared you, Keiko," but she didn't appear sorry one bit. Botan grinned impishly and pawed at the air like a cat, "I thought I'd sneak up on you."

Keiko shook her head playfully. "You always do that!"

On a more serious note, Botan said, "I tried to catch you at work, but you had already left. Did you get my messages? It's been ever so long since we've last talk."

"I was busy this morning, so I forgot to check my phone." Grinning, Keiko pulled Botan in for a hug and explained further, "I left the office early – was just collecting the mail before going home."

Botan immediately noticed the odd radiance hovering around her friend. She grinned slyly and playful poked Keiko in the arm. She felt somewhat giddy around Keiko, as if Keiko's radiance was affecting her too.

"Looks like someone's had a good day," commented Botan with a silly grin.

"Every day seems to be a great day," she replied with a giggle and brought her hand up to her chest to ease her mirth.

From behind a set of dark clouds, a ray of light peeked through to illuminate Keiko's hand. There was a flash of light and Botan's eyes zeroed in on the glittering ring. She gasped and yanked Keiko's hand toward her with surprising strength. Peering closer, she smiled with happiness for her friend.

"Oh, Keiko, girl," she gushed, "when?"

Like any newly engaged woman, she blushed prettily, "the night he left."

"Well, it's about time!" And it really was! Botan's merriment then died down and she focused on the next details, something everyone friend of the soon-to-be bride would want to know. "Have you decided on a date – what about the dress? Any ideas about the floral arrangements – oh, and the after party," she happily fired at Keiko.

"N-no, we haven't discussed any of those things." She leaned away slightly at the ferry girl's gleaming eyes, "we will, when he comes back."

Botan seemed ready to ask more questions, but decided against it, and simply hugged her again. "Oh, I'm so happy for you."

As she had done whenever her coworkers saw her ring, she blushed for what seemed like the hundredth time. When the hug ended, she suddenly remembered her conversation with Koenma. This time, she was the one to grin slyly at Botan. "I'm happy for you _too._"

The blue haired woman scratched her head nervously. "Why, whatever for – did I miss something?"

"Yes, you did." Keiko accused, trying to be insulted. "I know about you and Koenma."

Face turning red, Botan tapped her forefingers together. "Well, it just," she turned red, "just sort of happened."

"Bashful, are we Botan?" asked Keiko with a bat of her eyelashes. "Seven months, was it?"

Botan didn't say anything. In fact, she was still tapping her forefingers together and blushing. She had been caught red handed, or in her case, red faced.

"Koenma said as much," revealed Keiko. She flashed Botan a hurt pout, "but I thought I would hear about it from you."

"I'm sorry," Botan mumbled. "We just wanted to keep it low key for the moment."

Smiling, Keiko patted the taller woman's shoulder. "No need to apologize, Botan. I was kidding! Actually, Koenma also said that," her voice was suddenly full of concern, "you're sick."

Raising a brow, Botan stared incredulously at her. "Sick – why, I haven't been sick in ages! I practically ooze vitamin C."

Frowning, Keiko chewed her lip. "Oh, well, Koenma said you've been calling in and er – having mood swings." Then, more hesitantly, Keiko finished, "and that you've been crying."

At that statement, Botan seemed to shrink away. The ferry girl's eyes darkened with sadness and tears sparkled on her lower, lash line.

"Botan," she reached out and touched her arm, "are you alright? I didn't mean to pry, but I'm just worried too – Koenma, he's worried too."

Shaking her head, Botan placed her hand on Keiko's hand. "I'm fine. It's just," but she couldn't finish her sentence, as a tear slid down her cheek.

Keiko hated to her friend this way. She had her suspicions, but Botan seemed too scared to tell her and as a friend, she decided to ask up front. Once it was confirmed, then Keiko could help her. "Are you pregnant?"

At those very words, the tears abruptly halted. Botan's head snapped up to with an astonished stare. She looked like she had seen something horrible, like what would happen if she were to witness some odd act of nature (Hiei in a dress!). Keiko didn't why, but it seemed everyone was laughing at her, which is exactly what Botan did after a long minute.

"Sorry, I'm – oh, my," she flicked away several tears.

Keiko smiled uneasily. "I'm not sure I know what's going on now, but I seemed to be getting this response lately."

Ignoring Keiko's last statement, she answered Keiko's earlier question. "No, I'm not pregnant."

"Oh, well, then," now, Keiko was definitely confused, "what – I mean, why have you been acting strangely around Koenma?"

"Shizuru," she wailed and the tears were falling once again. "Shizuru – s-she knew about us, from the beginning. She always knows about these things, you know?" Botan rubbed her tired eyes, "and you know how she likes to meddle in things. She always wants to enliven the moments, right, and she suggested I mess with Koenma's head. 'Just push him a little' she said, and 'it'll be fun, don't you think?' – and I did that, but then," she bowed her head, "she's gone, Keiko. Why would someone take her? She wouldn't run away, you know she wouldn't!"

Keiko didn't know what to say, but she knew how her friend felt, because she missed the older woman too. She only knew that they were looking for her and she had to believe they would find her soon. She wished she could provide an explanation, say something to ease the sadness, but she was sad too. All she knew was that Shizuru was still alive. She had to be alive.

"I don't know." Keiko whispered while pulling the woman into another hug meant to provide all the comfort she could not express with any words.

They must look odd, Keiko thought, as they stood on the sidewalk and held each other. The clouds were starting to let loose tiny raindrops. She could feel the cool liquids hitting the back of her neck. Botan was no longer crying, but she didn't seem to want to let go.

"Come have dinner at my house." Keiko finally pulled back, but kept her hands on Botan's shoulders to let her know she wasn't alone in this sadness.

Botan blinked away the rain from her eyes. "I'm better now. I just – I needed a friend. You don't have to invite me to dinner –"

"Nonsense, Botan," chided Keiko, "don't we need to discuss my wedding?" She smiled fondly up at the woman. "Come eat and visit with Karen. She misses you! You've spoiled her with all your stories!"

Giving Keiko a water smile, Botan nodded. "Thank you, Keiko." And, as an afterthought, "what's for dinner?"

* * *

"Did you ask about Friday – remember, we get a discount!"

For a number of days, Kenji had been raving about some new horror movie. Since he worked at the theater, which was stranger, because his father was rich, he received a pretty, nifty discount on tickets and snacks. Given the past few days, I had completely forgotten to mention to Keiko about the movie. I did know from Keiko (Koenma had told her), that Hiei and I were allowed some distance now, so the movie was bound to be more enjoyable than the first time I went.

"Of course," I snorted into the phone.

Somehow, even if we had only known each other for a few weeks, he seemed to know whenever I was lying. "You forgot, didn't you," he asked reproachfully.

I laughed nervously, "sorry, I got a little distracted." The memory of the _incident_ made me shiver. "But I'll tell her, I promise! There's no way I'm missing out on this wicked movie."

"Awesome!" He was suddenly quiet over the line and I took that moment to tap a nearby puddle with my rubber boot. There was frog inside, but it hopped away, as the water rippled. "Um, you know – I mean, d-do I have to ask your dad, you know, because – I mean, it's nothing like – unless, you think so?"

His words were a mess and I laughed at how his voice squeaked at the end of his sentence. "Kenji, I have no idea what you just said," before he could reply, I continued, "but I did hear dad, and he's not here. He's away on business." _Far away,_ I thought. "Did you want my dad to come along or something?"

He laughed nervously. "Ah, no, never mind."

On his side of the line, I heard the steady drone of rain, "are you outside, too?"

"Yeah," he answered but it sounded stiff, "but not by choice."

"Well, go inside! Are you wearing a jacket?" Keiko was rubbing off on me with all her motherly qualities, because she was always telling me about the importance of keeping healthy. "If you don't, you're going to get sick."

"It's not my fault," and now, I knew why he sounded so glum, "I'm locked out of the house! I forgot to take my house key when I left to go to the post office." There was the sound of a pot breaking and a loud grunt. "Oh, hey – I finally found the spare key."

"I guess you lucked out, Kenji." The rain was coming down harder and I was going to have to head into the house soon.

"Man, I don't know why I bothered collecting the mail," grumbled Kenji and I could hear the letters hissing, as he shuffled through them. "It's nothing but junk, junk, bill, dad's – oh, coupons for those bad ass pastries – and, oh shit."

"Kenji," I asked when he went silent, "what's wrong? Something happen?"

There was the sound of ripping and papers crinkling on his side of the line. I listened carefully, waiting for him to answer me. Then, there was an abrupt scream. It was a cross between a hiss, wail, and more hissing, as if the scream couldn't decide what to sound like.

"Kenji!"

"The scores, Karen," he yelled into the phone. "I passed – they're in the mail!"

My heart lodged into my throat when he mentioned the test scores. Suddenly, I was high tailing it all the way down the driveway, over puddles, and clambering up the steps. I tripped over the last step, but caught myself with an outstretched hand.

"Oh, god," I panted into the phone. I was amazed that I had managed to hold onto the phone this long without dropping into the nearest puddle during my run. "I got to go!"

"Karen – you better call me back!"

I hung up the phone and kicked off my boots. Running into the house, I ran over to the side table where the mail was usually kept. Quickly, I searched through all the letters and Kenji was right, most of the letters were mostly junk mail. I flipped past Keiko's shopping catalog, a pile of coupons, letter to announce a loan, a pink slip for the delayed electricity bill (I told Yusuke he was supposed to pay that weeks ago! Keiko was going to be furious.), but there was no official, school letter.

"_Mom," _I screamed with sudden urgency, not realizing what I had just called her.

In a flash, the kitchen was open to Botan and Keiko. Botan was wielding a large spoon and glancing about with a hardened gaze. Keiko came rushing out behind her with a butcher knife, looking as if she were about to fend off a band of ninjas. It was comical to see them that way, but also frightening at how serious they were with the makeshift weapons.

"Karen!" she brandished the weapon as she approached me. "Karen, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Whoa," I backed away while nervously eyeing the knife.

Laughing nervously, Keiko placed the knife on the side table. Botan chuckled uneasily, let out a sigh of relief, and hid the spoon behind her back. I thought about asking about the weapons, because they had seemed very intent on using them. I probably shouldn't have yelled. It might have scared them. Of course, the letter was a matter of life or death –

"My letter," I suddenly remember, "Keiko, the letter! Kenji, h-he said the scores were in, but – I mean, did they come?"

Like with Kenji, when he babbled, Keiko didn't understand the words that came hurtling out of my mouth. She did, however, hear his name. "Kenji? That nice boy you mentioned?"

"Yes, Kenji and I were talking," she brushed a hand over my bangs, absentmindedly grooming me. I backed away, as any kid does whenever they get groomed, "and he told me he got his scores today!"

Keiko seemed to recall something and she had an odd, dreamy smile, "Karen, did you call me mom earlier –"

"Keiko," I interrupted. I had no idea what she was talking about, but there was still the scores to discuss. I had to know. "Did you get a letter from the school?"

Suddenly, Botan was running into the living room and waving a letter in the air. "Karen, here it is!"

Rushing over to Botan, I reached for the letter, but she laughed and waved it slightly over my head. She was much taller than I was, but only by a few inches. If Keiko were to wave the letter, I would be able to snatch the letter easily. However, the letter was mine once I surged up as high as I could manage.

Letter in hand, I ripped open the seal in one go. Unfolding several pages, I scanned through the contents with a pounding heart. As I read, I collapsed into the nearest seat with a frown.

"What?" asked Botan, as she tried to glance at the pages, "what does it say?"

Unable to respond, I simply sat there and continued to read silently.

Sidling over to me, Keiko touched my shoulder. "Karen, what does it say?" When I still wouldn't respond, she gently pried away the page I was reading. Her eyes flitted over the words and when she reached the end, she shouted gleefully, "Karen, you've been accepted!"

I slouched in the seat. "But the scores," I grumbled, "it's lower than what they wanted."

Botan snatched the letter away from Keiko and sank onto the armrest of my chair. "No, no, Karen – oh, well, they almost made it over the satisfactory mark – just a smidge off." She held up her index finger and thumb to show emphasize the smidge part.

"Karen, you studied hard," consoled Keiko. "You only had a few days – some of those students had weeks! This is good news, Karen! You got in!"

"It doesn't seem fair." It actually wasn't fair. Keiko was right. Some of those students did spend weeks studying, maybe even months, and here I still get accepted with low scores. I then remembered Kenji's words from that day. "I'm foreign," I added, "they accepted me because of the ethnicity factor."

Botan scowled and slammed a fist into her hand. "Don't say that, Karen! You are a bright, intelligent young woman! You show promise and integrity!"

I couldn't help but laugh when she began pacing before me, as if she were prepping me for battle. She was always so cheery. Keiko was eyeing me thoughtfully and I ducked my head in shame.

"Sorry, Keiko, I thought I would place well, at least make an average score, but," I thought back to the test, "the history part got me. I couldn't remember some of the dates –"

"Karen," she lifted my head to meet my eyes, "Yusuke and I are proud of you." She smiled and I felt a little better. "Oh yeah," she added, as an afterthought, "I was going to mention that there was already a nearby school ready to accept you – I only remember when Yusuke reminded me before he left. Imagine that, he actually remembered something –"

"_What?"_ I bolted up in the seat, "you mean, I wouldn't have had to take that test – oh, man," I slumped back in the seat tiredly, "now I feel like a retard – I was going on and on about the test."

Botan flicked my forehead. "You're not retarded!"

"I know, I'm sorry," hurried Keiko. "It is a great school, you know." She squeezed my shoulder, "but it's up to you, okay? You're right. You should have been given the chance to choose which school to attend, but I just – I just wanted the best for you."

I thought about blurting out that I wanted to go to the other school, just to see her reaction, but that wouldn't be funny. She honestly cared about my education. Of course, I had already decided to attend this school with the evil, entrance exam. I had spent five horrible days studying for it and there was no way, I was going to choose another school. I may not have got the scores and they may have only accepted me based on the ethnicity factory, but hey, whatever works.

"I'll go." I grinned up at them. "Besides, I already have a friend there."

Her face lit up and I realized that if I had to, I would retake the test repeatedly… just to see her smile like that.

Keiko immediately started going off about the types of subjects to look forward to, the abundance of clubs, and the pride of attending the school. I lifted my chin up with a little egotism at how she seemed to speak proudly over my meager accomplishment. However, Botan ruined my prideful composure by crushing me against her well-developed chest (sadly, mine would never compare to hers). If this had happened to a guy, they would have gotten a nosebleed, but I was not a guy, and was actually struggling to get away. She was smothering me!

"Botan," I twisted my face to the side, but she pressed me closer, "I can't breathe!"

Keiko was laughing loudly, as she had done long ago, when I had accidently mentioned that Yusuke wore her yellow apron while cooking. She collapsed against the wall and gasped with laughter. In response, Botan, spun around, dragging me with her, clearly amused at the strength she possessed over me.

"Something is burning," alerted a cool, smooth voice. It was Hiei.

Botan stopped twirling and looked over at Hiei. I blushed in embarrassment, because I was still glued to her chest. Hiei gave a jerk of his head toward the kitchen and both women stiffened in alarm. Abruptly, Botan released me and ran into the kitchen with Keiko.

Able to breath now, I gave a little sniff. "I don't smell anything."

Realizing whom I was talking to, I shuffled nervously. He was half way up the stairs and glaring down at me. His eyes and attitude toward me were still the same as ever. Actually, his presence made me scowl, because I had spent weeks wondering what would happen once we were face-to-face, and he was the same as always. I was an idiot for, once again, over thinking things.

"No," he headed up the stairs, but paused to toss over his shoulder with a cold voice, "but the laughter was getting annoying."

"That's cruel," I seethed at him.

Ignoring me, he continued up the stairs. Needing to defend the happy moment from earlier, I grabbed the tiny throw pillow from my chair. With a glare, I flung the pillow at his back. Once it hit him, I was going to laugh in victory, but he had to ruin it. It didn't even looked like he moved, but the pillow was flying back with brutal speed. It smacked me in the face. Huffing, I rubbed at my nose, because one of the beaded ends had conked against it.

He turned at the top of the stairs, crossed his arms, and glared down at me. And then, because he just knew it would infuriate me, his lips lifted in a smug smirk. I glared up at him, which was all I could manage, because I was not going to throw the pillow again, even if his eyes challenged me to do so. My nose hurt, dang it!

"_There's nothing burnt in here,_" boomed Botan from within the kitchen. The intensity of her voice was enough to make me wince. I think I even saw the pictures shake against the wall!

When I turned back to Hiei, he was gone. He was probably frightened by Botan's insanely, loud voice. I rolled my eyes. No, Hiei wasn't scared of anything.

Replacing the pillow, I decided to go wash up for dinner. It was as I was passing to the bathroom that I paused by the bookshelf. There were no books on this shelf. Instead, there was a ton of picture frames. I had always passed by this shelf, but never just took the time to study the photos.

A golden frame captured my attention and carefully, I picked up the frame with both hands. The photo had everyone in it. There were all at the beach and I eyed the blue sky and sparkling sea. All the ladies were smiling while the men were staring more seriously at the camera save for Kuwabara. He was the only one smiling goofily, as if he was having the grandest time. Genkai, a very serious lady (even though I saw her playing a video game once), even managed a little smile, as she stood next to Yusuke. Yusuke had a hand on her tiny shoulder while his other arm was wrapped around Keiko's waist. Keiko had her arms wrapped around his neck and flashed the camera a sparkling smile. Botan was holding a peace sign over Shizuru's head and said woman, was grinning around a cigarette. Yukina, forever beautiful, was smiling proudly beside Kuwabara's side. There was Kurama too, handsome as ever, unsmiling, but eyes full of warmth. They even captured Hiei. He had his arms crossed and was glaring furiously at the camera.

I smoothed a thumb over Hiei's scowling face and smiled. Now I knew why Kuwabara kept calling him a shrimp. He was so short (and he calls me short – I was taller than he was, then)! He barely reached Kuwabara's elbow. Still, he was a sight to behold with his good looks and cool disregard for happiness. Even if I had known him while he was this short, I doubt I would be any more comfortable in his presence. No matter how tall, Hiei was still scary. No matter how tall, Hiei was still very attractive.

Smiling fondly, I traced over all the faces. They were all young looking. They couldn't have been older than seventeen or eighteen. This must have been taken six, seven years ago. However, all they're eyes were old, as if they had seen a thing or two. I suddenly remembered Yusuke saying something about how even though they were young, experience made them much older. I could now see what he meant. They were all much older, even at seventeen; they were older than my seventeen years.

Eyeing Yusuke's much younger face and Keiko's dazzling smile, I could see just how young they were compared to today. They had more crinkles around the eyes, which I would never tell Keiko, because that would be rude. But she was still beautiful and nothing would ever tarnish her natural beauty – the eye crinkles just added to her beauty. Yusuke was handsome and cocky, still so today, but now, he had a slightly weathered look to his face and eyes.

"I got into the school, you know," I whispered to Yusuke's face, "didn't make the scores, but…"

My words trailed off into silence. I thought of Keiko. She may laugh and smile around me, but I didn't miss the way she would look out the window with longing. Most of the time, I tried to distract her, by telling her about Kenji, accompanying her on grocery trips, watching all the soap operas on TV (not my thing, but she seemed to enjoy them), and doing everything to make it more manageable for her. Still, it was sad to watch her grieve for his absence.

"I saw the letter from the electric company," I continued under my breath, "told you to pay it that day, but you forgot." Putting the frame back, I turned away.

"_Don't let Keiko worry too much." _

Hearing those words, I whispered, "yeah, trying my best."


	15. Just a Typical Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen- Just a Typical Day

* * *

_"Karen!"_

I groggily downed the rest of my juice. When she yelled again, I forced myself to hurry up the steps. After tripping on the last step and muttering several dark curses, I bounded into her bedroom.

"Keiko?" I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

She didn't seem to have heard me, because she was busy jamming a handful of bobby pins into her hair. When she did finally notice me, I was standing there with a dazed look. I was awakened quite abruptly when Keiko shook the house with a scream. Apparently, she was late for work. Unable to sleep with her rushing around, I had decided to rouse myself with some morning juice.

"Remember what I said last night?" I nodded to let her know that I remembered, but she felt the need to repeat the command. "Make sure they hold your uniforms," she hurriedly applied a quick swipe of lipstick, "so I can pick it up after work."

Deciding to help her out, I grabbed her purse on a nearby hook. "Yes, I remember."

"Oh, and I gave Hiei the money since you don't know how to use it yet," she eyed me through her vanity mirror, "we really need to teach you soon – _oh, no_!"

The startled scream made me drop her purse. The contents spilled onto the carpet and a few rolled underneath the bed. Hating my clumsiness, I fell to my knees and began scooping the items back into her stylish handbag.

"Keiko?" I glanced over in concern. She was scattering objects around on her vanity, clearly searching for something important. "Keiko – come here," the last part was for the coin that had rolled too far under the bed. Snatching the coin with a growl, I turned back to her, "what happened?"

"My lucky earring," she tossed a hairbrush out of the way, "I've lost the other one – oh, this just isn't my day! I have to meet a new client and go over all the accounts," she searched worriedly. "I'm so late, I'm so late!"

As I stuffed the last of her items back into the purse, I saw the missing earring in the middle of the floor. Grinning triumphantly, I crawled over to it and held it up. "Hey, I found it!"

Like lightening, she snatched the earring out of my hand. Not even bothering to wait to put her heels on until she was at the front door, she struggled into them while heading out of her room.

"Bye," she hopped awkwardly into the other fancy heel. "Don't forget to buy supplies," and zoomed out of the room, adding over her shoulder, "and don't forget to eat something for lunch – you know how Yusuke is about that!"

I was still standing there when she left the room. I was thinking of going back to bed, maybe put in a couple of hours, before having to go out and run errands. It was still early enough and my, this a lovely purse –

"_Keiko,"_ I bounded down the stairs. "Keiko, you forgot your purse!"

She was already hopping into her car when I made it downstairs. I hurried out the door and held the purse over my head, waving it wildly, as she began backing away. She slammed on her breaks and I rushed over to her. Once she had her purse, she hurriedly pulled me down to place a chaste kiss on my cheek.

"What would I do without you?" she exclaimed. "This is the third time this week you've run my purse out to me."

"No, problem – its great exercise!" Actually, it made my lungs hurt. I was going to have to use my inhaler in a minute.

I waited until she disappeared from view before heading back inside. The quick jog to her car had fully awakened me. A nap would be nice, but it was time to start the day.

Showers always make things a little bit better and they were a great start to the day. Nice and clean, I shuffled out of the bathroom and into my room. Rummaging in my closet, I searched for something to wear, but sadly, most of the clothes were missing. I was going to have to wash my stuff tonight. I grabbed the shorts and blouse still left dangling on the hangers. I'd rather wear pants while riding around with Hiei on that death bike, but these shorts were going to have to do, even if they were a little too short. I didn't mind the length (I had seen much shorter ones), but around Hiei, I did mind.

I was in the process of grabbing my brush and blow dryer when the door barged open.

"I thought you would be ready by now," muttered Hiei in annoyance, "I haven't got all day."

Demon or not, he was the rudest man I have ever known. Huffing, I pointed my brush at him. "You could knock, you know!" Like any girl, I didn't want to rush while getting ready. "Get out!"

"Get your stuff and let's go!" he demanded.

I crossed my arms and stood my ground. "No." When he cursed and muttered darkly under his breath, I angrily tossed the dryer over on my bed. I was just going to have to settle for a quick brush up. "Fine," I stomped past him, "since you're so impatient," I continued, as I marched down the stairs while clutching my hair brush angrily, "I'll just go with my hair wet!"

I was ready to throw open the front door and head outside when he yanked me around. He then proceeded to drag me to the bathroom in the hallway.

"Let go of me!"

He purposefully ignored me and I twisted against his hold. His only response to my struggles was to tighten his hold around my upper arm. I hissed in pain, but continued to pull away angrily. He continued on to the bathroom, dragging me in his wake. I almost hit the side table! Reaching the bathroom, he shoved me forward until I collided against the bathroom counter. I took a moment to rub my hip, but only a moment, because he angrily pushed my blow dryer into my arms.

"Hurry up," he hissed through his teeth, as if the very act of waiting, even for a minute, pained him.

Biting my tongue to keep from yelling at him, I shoved him out of the bathroom and slammed the door in his face. When the door didn't go flying open, I smiled to myself smugly. I knew if I complained enough, he'd eventually allow me a few minutes to dry my hair. However, he didn't have to act so rudely! I rubbed my hip with a grimace. I was going to have another bruise…

Hair dried, I swept the brush through it a few times. I wanted to take my time to infuriate Hiei, but it was probably wise not push him anymore. I still had to come out of this alive. Twisting my hair into a loose braid, I let it rest along my shoulder. There, that should keep the strands under control while on the bike.

Collecting my bag back before leaving the house, I jiggled the knob to ensure it was locked. I took a moment longer to inhale deeply. Even after the deep breath, I was still angry with Hiei. He was still angry too, it seemed, because when I approached the bike, he practically threw the helmet at me. Surprisingly, I caught the helmet. Pushed to the limit by that harsh action, I flung the helmet back at him. His jaw tensed dangerously, as he caught the helmet.

_"Karen." _The way he growled my name should have been enough to have me clambering on the bike in fear, but I forced myself to keep walking.

Not bothering to look at him, I stomped past him and down the driveway. "I'll just walk to Tokyo!"

He didn't say anything, but the heat between us spiked perilously. Annoyed, I kicked a pebble, sending the stone skidding ahead in my fury. Hearing the roar of an engine, I rolled my eyes and clutched the straps of my backpack. It was when the machine roared again, that had me shooting a nervous glance over my shoulder.

His eyes were shielded by his dark shades, but the way the light glinted against the frames, had me picturing his eyes doing the same in anger. He was dressed like any other man, in jeans and a black, long-sleeved, button-up shirt, but on him, it made him look formidable. He leaned forward slightly and the glasses glinted dangerously again.

It was standoff. I could feel his eyes on me. I could feel the blood running through my veins. I was so attuned to him. Even from this distance, I could see how his hands tightened around the handlebars. A trickle of sweat slithered down the side of my face. There was a caw of a bird and the fowl flew between us.

He smirked.

Turning, I sprinted down the driveway, unsure of why I was actually running. Everything made much more sense when I heard the screech of tires against gravel. I should focus on running. _Don't look back, Karen! Don't look back!_ Cursing silently, I glanced over my shoulder.

Bangs whipping back, he was speeding toward me on his bike. I nearly stumbled at the sight of him, because he was insane. He was going to run me down!

"Hiei, stop this right now!" I screamed while jogging. "I mean it," his response was to squeeze the throttle and increase his speed. "Hiei – HIEI!"

I turned and resumed running. I was quivering in fear. The sound of the approaching bike was growing louder and louder. The heat, which had lessened the farther I had walked away from him, was intensifying, a sign of his nearness. He was nearly on top of me now. I peeked over at the grass, sucked in air, and prepared to jump out of the way.

The air came whooshing from my mouth as he wrapped a cruel arm around my midsection. He didn't even slow down when he whirled me around to throw me over his lap. I was sprawled on my stomach. Hanging dangerously over the side, I started screaming at how close the ground was to my face.

"Stop the bike!" I shrieked over the roaring engine while reaching back to yank at his shirt, pants, or arm. I could hear the hiss of the gravel. "Hiei, stop the bike! Please, Hiei – stop the bike! STOP THE BIKE!"

The bike screeched to a halt, swerving slightly on the gravel. The moment he stopped, I scrambled up and shoved at his chest. Furious, scared, and hurt, I began hitting his chest, arm – his entire body!

"What's wrong with you?" I shoved both hands against his chest. "I could have died!" Slapping him near his face, I didn't miss how the muscle in his jaw tightened. Near tears, I continued with the onslaught with several more slaps and hits. He took each attack with a tight jaw. "My face was inches from the ground! You stupid, uncaring, bastard –"

"That's enough," he warned.

His hand snaked out to wrap around my wrist, effectively stopping my attacks. When he jerked me forward, he wasn't expecting me to throw my arms around his neck. I wasn't even expecting it. Instinctively, his arm released my wrist to wrap around my waist. I trembled while waiting for the adrenaline of the incident to leave my body.

"What are you doing?" asked Hiei and strangely, his voice did sound curious.

I wasn't crying. If I could help it, I wasn't ever going to cry in front of him. The fear was already dying down, but there was the need to release a well-needed sob. In fact, the need was so great, that a little sob did slide past my lips.

"Karen," he growled.

I should be angry. I should hate him. However, I should have known he wouldn't let me get hurt. We were connected after all. I get hurt, so does he.

Not knowing why, I gave another little sob. The muscles in his neck tensed dangerously. My face in the crook of his neck, I could see how the muscles were corded tightly.

"Crying is weak, you foolish, girl."

He had the choice to shove me away, but his arm remained around my waist. It seems even Hiei hated it when a girl started crying. It may annoy him. It may anger him. It may do a lot of things, but this was the only revenge I could ever have.

"Let go! I don't need your damn tears drenching me."

I forced myself to shiver, which wasn't hard. Burying my face against his neck, I gave a little cry. I honestly wasn't snuggling – well, maybe I was, but this was once-in-a-lifetime deal, even if he was a cruel, heartless bastard. _Wow,_ I thought curiously, _his soap smells nice._

"I'll cut your arms off if you don't let go…"

I paled and pushed away from him. Now that I was out in the open, I immediately ducked my head to hide my face. Glancing sideways at him, I watched him pull his glasses down. He stared over the lenses for a long moment. I knew I was busted. There were no tears on my face.

"Idiot."

That was it. He didn't even yell the insult. The moment was kind of awkward now, as if it was kind of intimate. Toeing the ground, I cleared my throat nervously. Then –

"Hurry up and get on or I will cut your arms off!"

Jumping at his threat, I grabbed the helmet he held out for me. Quickly, I locked the helmet into place and clambered onto the seat. Clearing my throat again, I hesitantly reached around him with my arms. The engine hummed gently, as he patiently waited for me to get settled. Once I was pressed against him, he sped forward.

In a delayed response to his threat, I muttered darkly against his back. "You jerk."

He turned sharply and the bike tilted dangerously.

I screamed.

* * *

"Prince Koenma, sir?"

Koenma continued to read his papers, but did reach over to press a button, giving out his usual, "yes?"

"Incoming data from Demon World," replied the intercom. "It should be ready for viewing in half an hour, sir. We apologize for the slight delay."

"Very well," answered Koenma. He didn't bother to give a tantrum about the delay, even though the data should have arrived two hours ago. It was just one of those days, where everything was sluggish and bound to leave one ragged come nighttime. He still had hours of work left and couldn't waste his energy yelling out his frustrations (unless, it was needed). "Before you go, make sure this morning's files are all relayed correctly to the archives."

"Yes, Prince Koenma, sir."

The static of the voice was gone and replaced with the sound of hissing paper, as Koenma shuffled through the stacks of documents. Plucking a random sheet, he read quickly, but it was an easy case – the guy lived a good life, died of natural causes, and was awaiting confirmation. Koenma wished every case was like this, because then, he wouldn't have so many headaches. He scratched his name at the bottom and stamped his royal seal.

He was halfway through his second stack when there was a sharp rap on the door.

"Yes, come in," he grunted around his binky.

It was Jorge. The ogre walked carefully into the room while balancing a silver platter atop his blue hands. Koenma watched the ogre with a raised eyebrow, but didn't say anything, until Jorge set the tray on his desk.

"Thank you, ogre," Koenma eyed the steaming tea kettle, cups, and sugar bowl, "but I didn't ask for tea."

George wrung his hands, wobbling from foot to foot. "Uh, are you sure, sir? I thought you called me for some tea."

"I'm sure, ogre. I don't recall asking for any all morning." Koenma rarely forgot anything, especially if it pertained to food, that is. Even so, he picked up the tiny cup, blew softly, and sipped the hot liquid. It was soothing.

"No, no," insisted Jorge, with a nervous chuckle, "you just don't remember, sir."

Koenma eyed the ogre over the rim of cup. Jorge was acting odd today, but then again, it was, as he had been thinking, one of those days. He supposed even the ogres were a bit distracted.

"Whatever," the prince finally murmured.

Jorge didn't leave right away. Instead, the ogre hovered near the desk and leaned forward to read a document Koenma had set aside. Normally, an ogre left the office once his task was done, but Jorge was a special ogre, and he had always been allowed in on special cases.

"Temple details," questioned Jorge.

Koenma grunted, as he stamped another page, and would have left that as his answer, but he found himself replying. "Ogre, you already know about the temples."

It was true. Koenma had already shared this news with Jorge, because the ogre had had to run a few errands for him, concerning this special case. But it seemed, every few days, Jorge was forgetting, and would always ask him about it again.

"Uh, are you sure," mumbled Jorge, as he scratched a large ear.

"Of course I'm sure!" yelled Koenma. He was growing irritated now. To calm himself, he downed his tea with one swallow. "Alright, since you're here, I do have information to be sent to the SWAT base. Can you do that or am I going to have to waste time again explaining about this case?"

Jorge furiously shook his head and said, "no, sir, Jorge understands," but the ogre still looked somewhat dazed.

Ignoring the ogre's forgetfulness, Koenma went on ahead, "good. Alert the SWAT that we have a priestess in our custody. Have them assign three guards to watch her," he eyed Jorge to emphasize his next words, _"at all times." _Jorge nodded. "She will be staying at her home until Valon and Genkai have settled in at Genkai's other temple, and then they will collect her."

"How did you find her, sir?"

"Kuwabara did," clipped Koenma. "He's still scouting out bars for Shizuru and he came across an unusual energy. He said it felt pleasant."

"A girl in Tokyo," muttered Jorge thoughtfully.

Koenma nodded. "Yes. She's eighteen and it seems she worked at one of Shizuru's favorite bars as a singer." He chuckled then as he recalled meeting the young woman. "She's very intelligent. I haven't conversed with a Russian in many years."

"She's from Russia," asked Jorge, "but she lived in Tokyo?"

"Speaks Japanese beautifully, too – well, enough of that," finished Koenma. Before Jorge could leave, he suddenly remembered a few more errands. "Oh, send Ayame in, will you?" Jorge bowed and turned to leave. "Wait," called Koenma. "Can you have someone send in my lunch, too?"

Jorge waited, another thirty seconds, in fact, but when Koenma said nothing more, he shuffled toward the door. He was ready to twist the knob and leave when Koenma requested one last thing.

"Oh, and Jorge?" asked Koenma. He was once again bent over his papers.

"Yes, Prince Koenma, sir?"

"Thanks."

Jorge bowed and shuffled out of the room. After Jorge left, Koenma spun slight in his chair. It was probably time for him to give some of his workers a few days off. He was working them too hard.

* * *

"Alright, dear, let me just ring the price up and mark your uniforms."

I flashed a smile and she giggled in response, sounding like a grandmother. When she turned away to the register, I eyed the clock. It was almost lunchtime. Thinking of lunch, my stomach rumbled.

Hiei was seated in a chair, near the door, where he had remained for the better part of my fitting. He was slumped back in the chair, elbow resting on the armrest, and knuckles supporting his head, as he stared out the window. He always appeared cool and relaxed.

Since the rude start to the morning, I worried Hiei would be in a bad mood. I almost wanted to cancel and tell him to take me back home. However, he was rather silent, speaking only to ask where I was supposed to go.

The fitting took longer than expected, because the old woman's hands kept shaking, and she kept dropping her pins. I had never had acupuncture until today and if it were anything like this, well, I don't think I would like to undergo the procedure. It was painful. Every time she poked me, I would bite my lip to keep from hissing out in pain. She was a sweet, old lady, but maybe she should retire now.

"Okay, dear, I should have this ready in two hours," she informed softly. "Will you be picking it up today?"

"Yes, my mother will," I answered while eyeing the uniform price. My eyes widened slightly at the numbers. I may not know how to use the currency properly, but I had a feeling these uniforms were not cheap. Of course, I've never had to wear a uniform before, and so I had no idea how much they actually cost. "Do you mind holding it until three-thirty – if it's not too much of problem?"

"Oh, so polite," she chuckled, "hard to find such polite kids these days." She handed me a card and pen with a shaky hand. "Fill out your name, phone number, and address, please – just in case," she patted my wrist, "you're mother runs late and I have to close the store, okay, dear?" I nodded. "Now, let's see here."

When she announced the price, I searched for Hiei, but he was already standing beside me. He pulled out a billfold (I didn't know he carried one) and pulled out a few bills. I stared at the bills, noticing the large number on them. _Geeze_, I frowned worriedly, _how much were these things? _Apparently, quite a bit, as she only handed a smaller bill back to Hiei for change.

Trying not to worry about the money, I scrawled out the family name and phone number, but sadly, couldn't remember the address. Surely, they had mentioned the address, but I had been so focused on memorizing the phone number, that the address information drew a blank.

"Uh –"

I wasn't sure what I was going to say, but before the words could form, Hiei reached over and took the pen away. I watched curiously while he scrawled out the address, dropped the pen, and nodded his head toward the door.

"Thank you," I bowed slightly to the older woman. Hiei may want to walk out without a goodbye, but I wasn't about to be that rude.

"Such a lovely couple you are," she mentioned, as she hung my uniforms on a rack.

"I'm sorry," I waved my hands nervously, "but we're not – I mean, we're not like that."

She laughed at my behavior, saying, "live out your young lives well." She handed a receipt. "Have a lovely day."

Bowing again, I headed out of the store. Once outside, I searched for Hiei, but he wasn't far away. He was leaning against the building and observing the street with a casual gaze.

With the uniforms done, I reached into my pocket to pull out Keiko's list. It was slightly wadded up and I hoped the writing hadn't smeared. Unfolding the page, I eyed Keiko's tidy penmanship. The uniforms were done and all that was left were supplies. She had even made a list for everything I should need, seeming more excited than I was about school.

Done reading, I glanced over at Hiei to tell him what was next, but he was occupied with his people watching. Since we had gotten off to the rough start, I decided to be nice by being as un-annoying as possible.

There was a supply store at the end of the street. I could see the sign. Destination in sight, I set off toward the store. Half way there, I decided to glance over my shoulder, just to see if he was still waiting, but he was walking right behind me. He had his hands in his pockets and eyes closed, astounding me, because he had to be the first person ever to walk so perfectly with his eyes closed. After a second longer of staring, he grunted.

"What?" I turned back to watch where I was stepping. "I'm not doing anything." And I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was simply staring…

He was silent, but I could hear his light footsteps. We walked the rest of the way in silence and strangely, it wasn't an awkward one. It was a silence of acceptance, because we both knew Hiei spoke only if he felt the need to speak. Besides, if I were to say anything, he would probably glare, call me something nasty, and proceed to smirk at his work.

Nearing the store, I glanced one last time over my shoulder. His eyes were open and met mine in a glare, as if he expected me to do such a thing. I refrained from rolling my eyes, but did lift my chin in a bristled sort of way. Turning to open the door, I flinched in alarm. He was already there and holding the door open.

This was odd. Hiei never went out of his way to do anything for someone, unless it was Yukina, but she was special to him in some sort of way. This odd act had to be a trap. I searched the area for anything out of the ordinary – the pavement, welcome mat, Hiei, door, window, Hiei, people – but there was nothing amiss – just Hiei.

I stared up at him with narrowed eyes and he glared back with his piercing, mocking eyes. He was mocking me, but for what? I waited a minute longer, which was long enough, because my stomach growled. The sooner I get this done, the sooner I get to eat lunch.

Brushing off his unusual behavior, I strolled past him. I did, however, tense just before crossing the threshold. I was sure he was going to stick a foot out and trip me. Yes, it would just be like him to take advantage of my poor motor skills. Setting my foot down gingerly, I sighed in relief. Nothing happened. I turned to toss him a glare anyways, but he was no longer there, and the door was closing softly. I hurried inside before the door could hit me.

"Hiei?" the question was muttered softly, escaping my lips in a whisper.

He was probably leaning against the wall or something –

I whirled around as someone tapped my shoulder, a little too hard, actually. It was Hiei and he was holding a shopping basket.

"Um," I mumbled, looking up at him.

"Hurry up," he muttered in annoyance, keeping his voice low so as not to draw unwanted attention.

Never mind, he was still the same Hiei.

Shaking my head, I eyed Keiko's list and walked ahead of him. I didn't bother asking him why he was carrying the basket. At this point, I was too hungry to care.

I had never had the opportunity to shop for school supplies. Back in the States, I had always been handed what was needed. They were mostly extra supplies teachers had collected throughout the year for students like me – student's that couldn't afford to abide by their extensive list. Sometimes, the orphanage was given money for such things, but it wasn't much, especially with all the kids. As I got older, all I really needed was a notebook and pencil. Usually, I could find extra pencils or pens in the library, so that was easy to collect. For paper, I would buy one (I worked odd jobs during my preteen days – cutting grass, collecting cans, helping that old lady with her groceries…) and if that ran out, I would just use recycled paper from the library.

"Calculator," I whispered to myself.

I never had a calculator before, but it was easy enough to find. Keiko had even described the exact model. If I had needed to use a calculator in school, I simply used the one in math class. If I didn't finish the problems in class, then it remained unfinished – this was probably why I sucked at math. Teachers were kind of stingy with calculators.

I didn't want to spend anymore of Yusuke or Keiko's money, but this list was long. And there, at the very bottom, Keiko wrote:

_You better get all this (_there was a scary face drawn after this)_ – Don't worry about the prices!_

Grinning in amusement, I shook my head. I followed her list and filled up Hiei's basket quickly. There were a handful of notebooks, pens, pencils, and highlighters. I really liked the highlighters. They were bright and something I had never used before. I especially favored the bright, green highlighter!

Done in record time, I bounded toward the register where Hiei was more than happy to drop off the basket with a grunt. After he paid, I shoved the sacks into my backpack. Keiko was probably going to want to look them over and see if I actually did get everything.

"Do you want to get some lunch?" I asked when we left the store. Normally, I wouldn't bother asking Hiei, but my stomach was starting to hurt. It was time to eat!

Hiei grunted, looking away.

"Come on," I pleaded quietly. "I'm paying for it." And this time I was, because I had spent enough money today. Well, Yusuke and Keiko were still paying for it, in a way. They gave me an allowance, something I honestly protested against, but they insisted. Yusuke clinched the deal with 'take it or I'll ground you'.

"No."

"Come on."

He grunted again and closed his eyes in annoyance.

Sighing, I gathered up all my strength. Sometimes, he was so damn stubborn and to deal with him, I had to be firm.

…

…

…

I poked him.

He glared.

I poked him again.

He growled.

Pressing harder into his stomach, I was rewarded with a sharp slap. I winced from the hit and held my hand against my chest. He didn't have to hit me that hard!

"Fine," he hissed.

Immediately, I smiled in victory, forgetting about the sting of my hand. Eager now, I searched the street and found a little restaurant. Without alerting him, I stepped off the sidewalk, ready to dash off to the other side. Once my foot hit the road, Hiei yanked me back by the strap of my bag.

"What was that for?" I asked with a grimace.

"Idiot," he let go of my bag, "do you not look before you cross the damn street?"

"Oh."

The street was actually clear, save for one lonely car, but if we hurried, we would have plenty of time to make it across. I did this all the time in New York. I was a professional at crossing the street.

"It's just one car," I hurried out of his reach, "come on!"

He muttered a curse, but I didn't dwell on it. Sprinting into the middle of the road, I wasn't prepared for a Corvette to come roaring around the corner. The driver was some teen and obviously not paying attention, because he didn't even stop at the light. I managed to move out of the way before he could run me down, but only barely. It seems I was a little rusty at crossing the street.

Scowling, I ran all the way to the other side without another incident. I watched the Corvette disappear around a corner. Near the restaurant, I could smell the food and the frown disappeared from my face. I turned to head inside, but bumped into Hiei's chiseled chest.

"_Just one car?"_ he pinned me with his heated gaze.

I laughed nervously. "Well, it was just one car – that other car was supposed to stop." He towered over me and I had to lean back in order to meet his eyes.

"_Karen –"_

"Can we eat?" I smiled sweetly, trying to avoid an argument. The street was starting to get a little crowded. It was lunchtime.

Whirling, Hiei gave a frustrated growl and stormed off into the restaurant. I scurried behind him, smiling at his actions. Sometimes, his attitude was amusing.

When he reached the restaurant, he threw open the door so fast, I could feel the breeze as it whipped open. I thought he would be gracious enough to hold it open, but he did no such thing. The door slammed shut and I ran smack into the door's windowpane.

Hissing in pain, I massaged my forehead. There was a soft laugh and I glanced over my shoulder. A few women and men were laughing. Humiliated, I blushed. They probably heard my body smack into the door! Embarrassed, I ducked inside the restaurant with a hot face.

I found Hiei easily enough, for he was seated at a back table. Scowling, I stomped over to him. My scowl deepened even more when he had the audacity to sit there and smirk at me. His eyes were glittering not in anger, but in amusement. He found this funny, didn't he? So help me, if I find a huge knot on my forehead tomorrow morning, I was going to attack him with every pillow in the house!

"That was uncalled for!" I seethed under my breath once I settled across from him. "You jerk!"

"Hn," he grunted, but there was a slight humorous tone to it.

Slouching in my seat, I clucked my tongue in annoyance. I wanted to curse, but food was more important to me. Instead, I snapped my menu open and glared at all the items.

"Look where you're going next time," he voiced in a low growl.

_Ah, so that was punishment, was it?_

Fuming, I muttered darkly, "next time, I'm going to push you into a door."

"_What?"_

"I said next time," I hid behind my menu, "I'm going to pick a different diner."

Hiei scoffed.

"And then push you into _that _diner's door."

"Shut up."

* * *

With his red hair tied back into a low ponytail, Kurama knelt to the ground. His palm hovered above the dry earth and his emerald eyes narrowed in concentration.

"It's restless," muttered a deep, smooth voice behind him.

Kurama didn't move, but he did glance sideways to answer. "Yes, it is. It's quite intense, but I think it should die down after a few days." He dusted his hands and stood slowly. "What brings you here, Yomi?"

Yomi's three pairs of ears twitched in the wind, a sign that he was listening intently. Long, raven hair moved gently about him silently. Turning, Yomi faced the direction of a temple a few feet away. Mimicking Yomi's movement, Kurama studied the temple beside the blind demon.

"Can't I spend time with an old friend?" drawled Yomi with a hint of a smile.

Kurama was tired. He had spent days traveling and wasn't in the mood for cryptic messages, but he answered anyways. "If you wish, Yomi," he ignored Yomi's answering chuckle.

Not wanting to aggravate Kurama, for Yomi could sense how tired Kurama was (he always got this way when he was famished), he commented on the temple. "It's impressive, isn't it?"

A golden temple stretched up to the sky and towered above the huge trees. All around the temple were large columns to hold up the pointed rooftop. Intricate designs were engraved into the gold walls, depicting animals and strange symbols – a dead language. The steps, leading up to the entrance, were gold, too, and reflected the flash of the lightening around them in an eerie light.

Kurama's eyes flickered over the temples beauty, drinking it all in with curiosity. He eyed the two, golden, tree-sized statues at the foot of the stairs. She was depicted in a robe, meant to appear sheer like, as she seemed almost nude. She had her hands clasped in front of her in a prayer and a soft smile graced her frozen face. She was stunning.

"This is her temple."

"Yes," confirmed Yomi, "and there are even more of her statues inside – As of yet, we have no idea who she is."

"There is someone who may know who she is, but I'm afraid she is busy at the moment."

"And I assume there is much more to discuss about this?" Yomi waved a hand over at the temple with a grin, not in amusement, but a cold, calculating grin. "Prince Koenma was rather reluctant to share much, even though he requested an extensive amount of data from us."

"Yes, there is much to explain. He felt it more prudent to send a representative to explain the details in person – hence, my arrival." Kurama turned to head toward Yomi's estates. "Perhaps, in a more private setting?"

"If you wish, Kurama," mocked Yomi, but he fell into step with the redhead.

"Was your trip satisfactory?" Kurama asked on a lighter note.

"A trip's a trip, but necessary to see what else was occurring on my lands." His ear twitched. "You've been hear in my lands for about a week now, no? My people were expecting you to arrive days ago."

"I was checking the small temples near the border."

"Ah," murmured Yomi. "Yes, they're not as impressive as this temple, I'm afraid."

"So I've noticed."

Yomi glanced back over at the temple and Kurama awaited his next question. He knew the moment Yomi arrived, that the demon was going to ask him about it.

"Don't you want to see the inside? Old friend, I know the gold intrigues you."

Kurama sighed inwardly, refusing to roll his eyes in annoyance. "I think you are mistaken. It intrigues _him_, not me." He paused to let Yomi know he wasn't in it for the riches. He did, however, need to see the inside. "I would like to see the inside later, though."

"Fine," came Yomi's noncommittal answer, but then he chuckled, "how about some dinner? I've hired a new cook."

This time, Kurama did roll his eyes. "Yomi, last time, I nearly ate something dangerous. My human body can't tolerate Demon World's customary foods."

"I did tell the last cook that before firing him." He grinned. "Not all of our food is dangerous for you."

Kurama shoved his hands in his pockets and closed his eyes. "No, but _some_ of the food is."

"Well then, I'll have him cook what you can tolerate," Yomi smiled when Kurama raised an eyebrow at him, "honest."

* * *

"My man, Hokushin," yelled Yusuke while clapping Hokushin on the back, "just look at the amazing renovations you've been making." Yusuke held his hands about to indicate a size, "first all those little ones," he stretched out his hands, "and now this huge one. It looks pretty nice."

"Lord Yusuke," warned Hokushin. "This is a peculiar matter."

Yusuke snorted and joked disdainfully, "Hokushin, lighten up."

However, Yusuke turned to the temple with a more serious gaze, "so, anyone gone inside, yet?"

The temple was a light, blue colored, almost crystalline, like a blue diamond. The colored stones glittered in the sun and if one were to stare too long, they would be blinded. The steps leading up to the entrance sat beneath a huge tree, where the tree acted as a domed opening for the foot of the stairs. There were many windows, some oval, and others large, rectangles, allowing the sun, peeking out from storm clouds, to filter in sunlight.

"Yes, I sent the one of the higher guards and a five of the lower ones."

There was a hesitation in Hokushin's voice that had Yusuke frowning, "yeah, and?"

"Only one guard made it back out," answered Hokushin quietly. "The rest are dead. It seems the mazes inside are quite tricky."

Yusuke scratched the back of his head and coughed uncomfortably. "Damn, well did anyone make it all the way through?"

Hokushin nodded. "Yes, I went myself – It leads to a huge chamber near the back and inside, there are a set of stairs leading to a room." He then bowed his head, as if in failure. "However, I was not able to enter."

More knowledgeable about the matter, Yusuke explained. "Yeah, it's because you're not allowed in there."

Hokushin glanced at Yusuke, lifting a dark colored eyebrow in question. He was about to answer the demon monk, but a breeze blew softly, and ruffled his bangs. Without shifting his body, he glanced sideways carefully. Hokushin tried to be discreet too, but couldn't help stiffening, as they detected the presence of a demon.

"I'll explain later."

"Yes, Lord Yusuke."

From the woods, there was a low chuckle. Turning around, Yusuke saw a cloaked figure leaning against a tree and tossing an apple into the air, with the impression of someone who never worried about anything. Hokushin tensed, his eyes darkening, as he stared at the hooded man. White teeth gleamed beneath the hood to reveal a crooked smile. The men couldn't determine if the smile was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Why, Lord Yusuke, you've finally decided to grace your desert lands with trees." There was no venom in this stranger's voice, and he was rather contented, shown by his sincere-sounding compliment, "by the way, nice apple trees."

Yusuke grinned, one of humor, but his dark, serious gaze betrayed his easygoing manner. "Well, thanks. It must be my green thumb at work."

The man chuckled at his statement. He tossed the apple a few more times and merely observed the two men. After the third catch, he lifted the apple into the air, as if he were toasting the two men. Done, he took a huge bite.

"Why do you trespass in Lord Yusuke's territory?" demanded Hokushin with a frown.

"Just resting," answered the man and his answer seemed rather honest. Then, he turned to Yusuke and smiled, "my lord."

They waited patiently until the man finished his apple, unable to figure out the meaning of this masked man's visit. Once he was finish, the man dug a hole in the ground with his boot, and dropped the apple core in the hole. Finished, he dusted his hands and turned to them.

"Reveal yourself, stranger," commanded Hokushin.

"I don't think I will."

Yusuke narrowed his eyes, as he felt the man's energy spike.

* * *

Twirling the noodles around my chopsticks, I slurped them up. The soup juice splashed on my lips and I licked them, savoring the seasoned taste. Hiei ate from his second bowl, wielding the chopsticks expertly. We made a sight, both of us, as we huddled over our meal.

"Do you want some more gyozas?" I was only asking because I wanted more of the dumplings, but didn't want to appear greedy.

Hiei grunted, but it was soft, which I think meant yes. After waving a waitress down and asking for some more of the fried dumplings, I leaned back in my seat. Picking a carrot slice from my miso ramen, I nibbled on it. Chewing on another carrot slice, I watched the people walking past the huge window. A few families shuffled by, seeming to enjoy the warm sunshine. One family caught my interest and I stared at them with a little smile. A young couple each held a tiny girl's hand, swinging her between them. It was a lovely sight.

"Eat," order Hiei and he snapped his chopsticks in front of my face to get my attention.

I sighed and gathered up some noodles. Before eating, I sighed worriedly, "Hiei?"

"Hn."

I dropped my noodles, purposefully poking around my bowl, as I asked shyly, "do you think Yusuke is alright?"

He remained silent, not bothering to glance up at me while he sipped from his cup. I glanced back outside and eyed the small family again. The woman reminded me of Keiko, but she was laughing loudly, something I wished Keiko would do more often. The man kind of looked like Yusuke and even walked with a hand his pocket. He probably forgot to pay bills too.

A little glum at the happy family, I observed the sky. Clouds were starting to move in and flooding the ground with shadows. It was probably going to rain tonight.

"He can take care of himself."

I whipped my head around to stare at him in awe, because he had answered me. However, he just nodded his head down at my bowl.

"Eat."

I was actually kind of full now, but it was rude to waste food. Everyone was always telling me to eat, as if I had never eaten before in my life. However, I felt comforted at Hiei's words. He had worked with Yusuke before and if he said Yusuke could take care of himself, then there was no need to worry.

"Yeah, you're right," I muttered around a mouthful of noodles.

"I know."

I choked.

* * *

The wind picked up, blowing Yusuke's hair around. Like Yusuke's billowing hair, so too, did the man's cloak flutter, making him seem more ominous than he let on. A light sheen of sweat appeared on Hokushin's forehead, the only sign of his worry. For a long moment, no one moved.

A shrill screech, from a nearby bird, broke the silence. At the fowl's cry, the stranger disappeared from sight and reappeared several feet away in a display of astonishing speed. Sprinting forward, his boots tore through the long blades of grass. He was blurring from spot to spot, but Yusuke didn't budge. He remained where he was with crossed arms.

The man smirked and disappeared one last time. As he reemerged in front of Yusuke, he dropped into a low crouch. Sticking his arm out to hold his body up, he lifted a leg up into kick – all in one smooth motion. Before his boot could connect with Yusuke's face, Hokushin blocked the kick with his arm. With a laugh, the man flipped away.

"What?" inquired the man with a chuckle, once he faced them again, "I don't get to tango with Lord Yusuke?"

Yusuke smirked. "Nah, I can't dance," he nodded his head at Hokushin, "but he can."

"So, may I ask my opponent's name?" asked Hokushin with a tilt of his head.

The man smirked before lifting a hand up and pulling his hood off. Cold gray eyes glinted in the sun, but while his eyes were cold, his smile was still humorous. Hokushin rolled his sleeves back, as they prepared to fight.

"Takeo."

"Nice to meet you," replied Hokushin coldly.


	16. How Could I Forget?

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen- How Could I Forget?

* * *

Hokushin gasped as the man, Takeo, split into three. All three Takeo's grinned before disappearing. The demon monk held his ground and searched his surroundings with a calculating, cold gaze. There was a slight shift to his left and he whirled around to block the punch to his head. Feeling another clone's presence, Hokushin flipped into the air and spun to deliver two energy kicks to each clones' necks. The clones must have been a test, because they disappeared easily in a cackle of energy. However, the last clone, which was the real Takeo, was behind him and already moving.

"You're quick," grunted Hokushin as he blocked another kick to his head.

The Takeo flipped out of the way, but he bounded away, and two clones appeared in his place. Each clone bent downward and swung their legs up to deliver, not one, but two, equally powerful kicks to his chest. The kicks hurt, sending him back, but his arms stretched out to grab the clones' heads. Dragging them forward, he hauled them into the air.

There was a flurry of movements then, as the clones whirled around in midair, forcing Hokushin into hand-to-hand combat. The real Takeo soon joined them by leaping into the developing dust storm with a cackle, for he appeared to be having fun, while Hokushin handled the fight in all seriousness.

"You're not bad either," gloated Takeo.

Hokushin's hands blurred around him and he effectively blocked each hit and kick, but he wouldn't be able to keep up this pace, not at the speed Takeo and his clones were creating. Hokushin was fast, but he had his limits, and this Takeo, seemed to know, because there was a slight grin on his face. However, the grin wasn't cocky, a gloat of perhaps having the upper hand, but one of acknowledging an opponent honestly giving his all. This Takeo was odd. However, Hokushin had to stop these clones, otherwise, he would waste too much energy and the fight would tether toward Takeo.

Bringing his knee up, Hokushin blocked a downward strike to his thigh. With a grunt, Hokushin flicked his leg out, managing to catch one of the clones in the chest. The clone went flying back, skidding across the ground and crashing into a nearby tree – then, 'poof', it disappeared. With his other side left unguarded, Hokushin was hit in the side. He flew to the ground, feet sliding against the grass as he struggled to remain upright. Pushing a hand into the ground, he performed a quick flip and righted himself in order to keep his balance.

Both men glared at each, chests heaving as they panted for air. Although, their hearts did not beat, their lungs burned for the cruel demon air. Hokushin held a hand to his side and watched as the real Takeo did the same with his chest.

"You feel their pain." Hokushin observed for the other Takeo, the clone, seemed to flicker a bit while the real Takeo massaged his chest. "I thought they were merely duplications of yourself to be used as distractions from the real you."

"I do use them as distractions, but they're a part of me." Strangely, Hokushin thought Takeo would leave it at that, but no, Takeo was thoroughly letting the monk know about his faults. "Once one is destroyed, I feel a bit of pain from it but the pain is minimal."

_What a peculiar demon_, thought Hokushin. _I've never fought a demon who would gladly reveal his weakness. _He narrowed his eyes at Takeo, trying to analyze his opponent's intentions, but he drew a blank. Yet, given how Takeo attacked heavily on his left side, he knew Takeo had caught his weakness too.

"It seems as if you've caught my mistake as well."

Both Takeo's smirked at Hokushin. "You have blind spot on your left side. The peripheral vision in your left eye doesn't stretch as far as the other."

Hokushin grinned. "Observant."

The clone Takeo placed his arms behind his head, this time talking in the real Takeo's place. "Pretty good for a monk, you are. Of course, I've never fought with one before."

Yusuke leaned against a tree, his eyes taking in the fight before him. Even though the conversation, on Takeo's part, seemed relaxed, he had not let his guard down one bit. This Takeo was a mystery and he could tell Hokushin was just as perplexed by the demon as he was. Watching closely, Yusuke could tell Takeo wasn't even fighting to his full potential. Takeo was hiding his true energy and only teasing Hokushin, it seemed. There was one other thing, something Yusuke caught right before the fight began, but only barely.

Takeo was a half-breed.

Yusuke had never fought a half-breed before. The only half-breeds he knew, or something similar to one, were himself and perhaps, Kurama. But he was the Mazoku – A result of a recessive trait passed from his Demon father over generations, where he was the descendent strong enough to active the odd genetic code. Kurama was a human with the soul of a demon.

This Takeo was odd, all right, because he had the energy of a demon, but the scent of a human. Did this make Takeo a more dangerous opponent?

Flicking some hair out of his eyes, Takeo smiled. "How about we speed it up?"

Hokushin tried not to show his surprise at the question. He had barely kept to begin with, but he found himself calmly replying to his abnormal opponent. "Please do."

At that, Takeo and his clone shot forward with a fist raised. Hokushin dodged every blow with a grunt, for the strength behind each attack was causing him to skid back along the cracked earth. Not to be outdone, Hokushin charged his own energy into his attacks. His energy would deplete faster, but this was the only way to keep from hitting the ground.

Fist for fist and kick for kick, the men fought, each grunting from the other's strength. The speed increased, scattering the dirt into a cloud of sand daggers.

Hokushin didn't want to reveal all his attacks, but he was steadily losing. With no other choice, he finally let out a yell and his neck muscles stretched, like that of a snake. Wrapping his neck around the clone, Hokushin began squeezing until the clone disappeared. The real Takeo gasped, observing the strange move before narrowing his eyes again.

_He can manipulate his body, _mused Takeo. _Why didn't this monk use this attack in the beginning?_

Breaking apart, the real Takeo and Hokushin began running parallel to one another. Robes billowing, the men threw each other looks. Hokushin was glaring at Takeo and panting hard. Takeo was glaring back, but appeared to struggle with being serious, for he gave the monk a half grin.

Digging his boots into the ground, Takeo stopped and whirled around. Before Hokushin could halt, Takeo was already bringing his right arm around and thrusting his palm outward. With a yell, bright blue discs shot out and zoomed toward Hokushin.

Throwing his body to the ground, Hokushin rolled out of the way. However, he only had a moment before another set of discs were flying at him. He could hear them whistling by and he did everything to dodge the deadly discs – flip, duck, roll, run – but he wasn't fast enough and the discs began cutting into his arms and legs. Then, with a pained cry, Hokushin took several discs to the stomach and hit the ground.

The grin slid off Takeo's face and something flashed in his gray eyes, but then it was gone before Hokushin could identify the emotion. Bringing his arms toward him, Takeo spun once and thrust both palms out before him. A large, blue disc, a combination of his many discs, streaked toward the kneeling monk.

"Game over," murmured Takeo.

Hokushin held his arms in front of him in an effort to ward off the bright, blue light. The energy was strong enough, even from this distance, to slice into his skin and shred at his robe. Closing his eyes, Hokushin waited for the bite of the disc.

"GET DOWN!"

Heeding the demand, Hokushin threw himself onto the ground until he was completely facedown. There was a whistle of energy and he felt something past over his body from behind him. He lifted his head slightly and gasped.

Yusuke had fired off his spirit gun and it was zooming toward Takeo's energy disc. The two, blue lights clashed together and the collision was so great, a crater erupted below the attacks. Hokushin pushed himself up and flipped back from the crater. Kneeling to the ground and grasping his side, Hokushin watched the scene before him with wide eyes.

The energies crackled, pushing against one another for dominance. Sparks of the energy bounced off and scorched what grass was trying hard to grow among the dry, desert earth. Both men yelled as they pushed their attacks forward and tried to throw the other one off course. With a roar, Yusuke's energy flared more and his light shot forward to engulf Takeo's attack. Startled, Takeo barely flipped out of the way, as the attack created a deadly path where he had been standing. The blast sent dirt and trees flying into the air and went crashing into a nearby mountain.

Panting, Takeo waited until all was silent and the birds began singing again. The dust cleared from the crater and Takeo staggered to his feet. Yusuke stared him down, hardly panting, but inside, he was thinking, _I couldn't even use my demon gun. I'm out of shape. That shot should have gone on for miles._

Dusting some dirt from his shoulder, Takeo chuckled. "So the gossip was true." He took a deep breath and settled his harsh breathing. "You have quite a nice gun on your fingertip."

"Yeah," Yusuke arrogantly replied. He was still peeved off that he hadn't been able to fire the correct gun. "Well, your fight's with me now."

Surprisingly, Takeo shook his head. "I'm afraid I've lingered long enough."

"What the hell were doing here then?" asked Yusuke with a rude wave of his hand. "Showing up here and making me ruin my apple trees!" _Damn it, _cursed Yusuke silently. _Those took forever to grow – the people here aren't going to be too happy I destroyed one of their favorite fruits. _

"Like I said, I was resting." Takeo answered, but then sighed tiredly. "And also now, I suppose, give a warning for the nice fight." Takeo plucked up another apple and took a bite. He was hungry. "I am not the only one in this. They are other fighters like me."

Yusuke scoffed, thumbing his nose. "Figures – that's nothing new, you know."

But what Takeo said next, was _new_.

"Are you aware that you have a traitor among you?" This time, Takeo was all seriousness and narrowed his eyes in a glare.

Yusuke didn't outwardly show any surprise, but inside, his blood ran cold. Surely, Takeo couldn't be talking about the priestess business they were all considering was the cause of the temples, earthquakes, and missing women.

"Otherwise, how would I know about that woman named Lena?"

He did know.

Yusuke gritted his teeth angrily, unable to say anything. He knew Takeo would not reveal the traitor. He also knew Takeo would never reveal why exactly he had provoked them into a fight. Sometimes, all you get are half-assed clues and not enough answers.

Turning, Takeo lifted his apple into the air and waved it as a parting goodbye, "oh and nice fight, monk."

With that, Takeo disappeared in the darkness.

Cursing, Yusuke turned and headed over to his fallen second-in-command. The monk was clutching at his side and groaning. Kneeling, Yusuke hauled the monk to his weary feet.

"I lost, Lord Yusuke."

"Hey, that's enough." He forced a cocky grin onto his face for the monk's benefit. "Come on. We better head back before the villagers pelt me with stones for taking out those trees."

Heading in an opposite direction, Yusuke paused to look over his shoulder and stared at the spot where Takeo disappeared.

_This isn't looking good._

* * *

"Karen, are you ready?" rang Keiko's voice up the stairs. "First day's call for early impressions and you don't want to be late!"

Keiko was at the top of her class when she was in school and apparently, she was going to coach me into the same position. I had at least forty-five minutes before class started, but she had me up, it seemed, at the crack of dawn. She was giddy with excitement.

I wished I could feel the same. Aside from moving building to building for different grades, I had always gone to the same school. It may have been a huge school and students were always different every period, but this was different. I was going to a foreign school and I was nervous about not fitting in with the rest of the students.

So when she awakened me for an early breakfast, I had heeded her demand with ease. I wouldn't have been able to sleep in today, anyways, for the nerves were making me nauseous. Did anyone really like being the new foreign kid? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, because there had been a lot of teenagers trying to get into the school – they would be new too, right? And besides, I had Kenji.

Staring at myself in the mirror, I took in my appearance. White blouse, maroon overcoat, and black skirt made up my uniform. I looked like some rich kid, but that was because of the uniform. I had never worn a uniform of any type before and honestly, it wasn't so bad. At least, I wouldn't have to make a statement of fitting in with the current fashion trend here. Of course, I was never one to complain much about fashion. I wore what was available.

Frowning, I slipped my black tie around my neck and began knotting it (Keiko had shown me how yesterday). Done, I wiggled the tie a bit. It felt like it was choking me.

"Okay, Karen," I whispered to myself while adjusting the tie, "just try not to do anything stupid on the first day."

Keiko entered my room and I stared at her through the mirror. I tried to grin, but it came out as a little grimace.

"These school colors are pretty," she commented.

I nodded. She seemed to sense my uneasiness, because she smiled softly and brushed a hand through my hair.

"Nervous?"

I sighed glumly, "Keiko, you have no idea – and I thought getting through the test was the hard part."

"It was," she laughed. "Karen, you'll do fine. Trust me, okay?"

"Always," I promised.

"Now here," she held up a red ribbon.

Eyeing the ribbon, I watched as the material dangled from her fingers.

-Flashback-

"Karen!"

A girl giggled in the background.

"Karen, where are you?"

A small girl with short brown hair peeked around a tree with a sly grin. The woman calling for her was glancing around for her whereabouts. Like all mischievous children, the girl sniggered. Slowly, the girl tiptoed around the tree to ensure she remained unseen. Raising both arms up, the girl leaped forward and hooted with laughter.

"Karen," the woman's brown eyes fluttered in surprise, as she held a hand to her chest, "you scared me!"

"Maria, your eyes were this," Karen widened her eyes with her small hands, "HUGE! You should have seen them!" After saying that, Karen shuffled nervously with a worried pout. "Did it hurt your eyes, Maria?"

Maria crossed her tanned arms and stared down at the small child with a serious gaze, ready to reprimand the blue-eyed girl. However, Karen was already turning away to stare up at the tree with a small smile, already forgetting the prank she pulled on Maria. Sighing tiredly, Maria reached out and smoothed a hand through Karen's messy, short hair, which was covered with sticks and loose grass.

This child was always running wild outside whenever she wasn't taken ill with another cold, which happened too many times for Maria to accurately count.

"You always did like being out here more than the others," murmured Maria softly as she plucked a stick from the child's hair. She was going to need to bathe before dinner. "Karen," she glanced up at the tree with the girl, "what do you see when you look at this tree?" She then turned back to Karen and kneeled before her, "you come out here and stare at this whenever one of the children leave, so I just wondered."

At this, Karen ducked her head and toed the ground with a dirty sneaker, the laces tattered and barely holding up.

"You don't like saying goodbye, do you?" cooed Maria. Karen nodded. "Oh, Karen, Ashley is your friend. A family has finally come for her – aren't you happy for Ashley?"

Whipping her head back up, Karen hurriedly grinned. "Yeah, I am happy, but," she lowered her eyes, "I don't want to see her go."

"We've talked about this, remember, Karen? But no matter what, she'll always be your friend."

"But sometimes they have to go away, I know," she replied quietly, as if she had recited the phrase many times.

It broke Maria's heart to hear that simple phrase. Some days, it was hard to run the orphanage, because there was always the chance she would grow too attached to the children. But she couldn't help it. She loved them all.

At eight years old, Karen should be a prime candidate for adoption, but she was just so sickly and tiny. Jesse and she were doing their best to bring her forward whenever a potential family came poking around, but one look, a quick scan of Karen's file, and they turned her away. Parents wanted a healthy child, not one like Karen, sick every other week and looking too small for her age. The limitations were cruel, because children shouldn't have them. However, these limitations were daily reminders whenever a family turned down a child.

And Karen was beginning to face what Maria didn't want her to face – that she may not ever get adopted and saying goodbye would be a constant reminder. Maria didn't want Karen to be one of the older kids that still resided at the orphanage. Some of them were already bitter, causing trouble, not going to school, or worse – and she hated it – running away. Maria didn't know if she could watch Karen go through that change.

"Here, I have something for you."

Eyes lighting up, Karen faced her with her an eager smile.

Smiling, Maria pulled a red ribbon out of her pocket and dangled it before the small girl.

"A red string?" asked Karen incredulously. Then, with a quick smile, she dashed over to the tree with the natural energy of a child. "Thanks, Maria! I'm gonna tie it around the tree!"

Maria smiled sadly, as she watched Karen form a clumsy knot around one of the tree's roots. When Karen was finished, they both stood back and watched the ends flap lightly in the wind.

"They don't always go away, Karen."

Karen glanced at her and Maria resisted the urge to give the child another hug. One hug a day was more than enough, but if things were different, she would hug every child for hours on end.

"Friends, Karen," explained Maria. "You have a big heart and someday, someone is going to need your heart – and because of that, I know you'll have close people around you, maybe not now, but you will."

"Will those people leave too?"

"No, they'll never leave."

…

…

…

"And Karen?" asked Maria.

"Yep," she mindlessly responded.

"Don't ever change, Karen.

"Okay."

-End of Flashback-

"Are you alright?" asked Keiko. The question shattered the memory and I shook my head. Eyeing me warily, Keiko reached up to check my temperature. "Mm, you seem fine. No fever."

Laughing, I pushed her hand away. "Keiko! I feel great – just zoned out, you know, like every teen does in the morning."

"Fine, but check out the ribbon." She turned my head slightly. "I thought it would be pretty to wear."

Turning, I glanced at the hair thrown over my shoulder. The red ribbon was tied neatly at the very end of my hair.

"Now have a great day."

Giving Keiko a hug, I grinned. "Thanks, Keiko."

* * *

"Oh!"

Genkai glanced over at her companion with a raised eyebrow. "Lena, what is it?"

Chuckling, Lena straightened up and placed a hand on the shorter woman's shoulder in an effort to stay balanced. Opening her eyes, she met Genkai's curious stare. "Ah, just my old age creeping up on me."

"Nonsense," Genkai snorted rudely. "You look rather _young_ compared to me."

"Young on the outside," reminded Lena with a little smile, "but _old_ on the inside."

They both chuckled at the inside joke and stepped off the train. To the people around them, they appeared to be the image of a grandmother and granddaughter traveling together. However, no one would ever guess that the tall woman was in fact, older, much older, than the tiny, pink-haired woman was.

The tall woman was young and slender with skin pulled taut to reveal a radiance many women tried to achieve with a quantity of beauty products. Yet, her unique colored eyes betrayed her youth, as they held ancient wisdom. The other woman was short and old with an aged face of worried lines. Small wrinkles hung about the corner of her eyes and lips to mark the stress of her many years. Still, the tiny woman held her chin up, giving off her own strength and wisdom.

"Well," Genkai eyed her friend, "you aren't immortal."

Lena's brows knitted together, considering the admission. "I have been thinking along those same lines and it seems only right to do so." She tilted her head to calculate her age. "I was frozen at eighteen years of age and awakened sixty-five years ago, which from that awakening, would make me," she blinked in alarm, "eighty-three years old."

"You and your dates, Lena – you never forget a thing."

"Neither do you." Then, she smiled at Genkai. "Do you remember when we first met?"

Scoffing, Genkai switched her bag to her other hand. "Yes, I was a young twenty something and I hit you with my spirit gun."

"And surprised you, too," remarked Lena.

"Who wouldn't be surprised? I wasn't expecting the rock to burst and reveal a woman."

"Yes, but that did not stop you from firing off another shot," she frowned at Genkai, "I only just managed to roll out of the way." They shared a look and Lena's eyes softened. "Angry as you had been, I was surprised you did not destroy me."

"At the time, I had every right to be angry."

"You had a broken heart."

"Lena," Genkai muttered in warning.

Closing her eyes, Lena took a deep breath. "Yes, I apologize. Yet, is that not the thing about the past? It never leaves."

Genkai smirked at the statement. "And that is how you know we are old – we keep bringing it up."

Lena laughed quietly behind her hand. After all, it was true.

"Ridiculous," muttered Genkai after they had been walking for only five minutes. "I grow tired of toting my luggage." She glanced around with narrowed eyes. "I'm calling on a brat."

Lena smiled and indicated with her hand for the woman to do she please. Her old friend was always cranky after long train rides. She massaged her back while Genkai searched for some help.

"Hey, brat," Genkai yelled at a boy leaning against the train station's wall. "Do you not see an old woman carrying her bags?"

The young boy had a sign around his neck that had the words, 'For Tourists: Will help carry luggage to nearest hotel', written in messy handwriting. He was obviously looking to make extra money. However, the boy scowled at Genkai with a rude smirk.

"Yeah?" he asked in a challenging way. "I'm on a break, you hag!"

"Kids these days," Genkai muttered under her breath. She was used to being treated rudely by the younger generation.

Lena glanced sideways at Genkai in warning. "Genkai…"

"Well, hell," she was talking to herself, "why not?"

Picking up a rock, Genkai tossed it up into the air a few times. On the third toss, she caught the stone in her hand and glared at the young boy. He must have seen something frightening in her eyes, because he turned and sprinted away.

"My friend, you never cease to amuse me," Lena said a few minutes later.

Genkai smirked and continued walking with her hands behind her back. "You're welcome."

Behind them, the boy carried their luggage with a large, purple bump atop his head. He was cursing with each step and this caused the women to laugh.

* * *

By time lunchtime came around, I was no longer nervous, but frustrated. This school was a tough one and if I was going to keep up, I was going to have to study before and after school. In fact, this school made the school back home look like kindergarten.

Having forgotten my lunch, I had to eat lunch from the cafeteria. I picked a handful of food and paid for it to the best of my knowledge. I was still having trouble with the currency. The lunch lady seemed annoyed, probably thinking I was being funny, and scowled at me. Luckily, she didn't start yelling, but she did shove the change back rather rudely.

Hungry, tired, and frustrated, I headed over to the table where Kenji was shoveling down his food. It seems, he too, had forgotten his lunch. Sighing, I plopped down next to him.

"You have homework too, huh?" asked Kenji, as he stuffed a rather large bun into his mouth. He seemed to be angry too, but was taking it out on his food.

"Yeah, but not much," I answered honestly. Picking up my spring roll, I nibbled on the end. "I'm just reeling from all the lectures and notes – do you know, I have two tests at the end of the week!"

He shook his head with a frown. "I know," he chugged down his juice. "Makes you miss the schools back home, huh?"

Together, we both ate in a moody silence. I was going over some of the math problems in my head, putting in a little study time. Five minutes later, Kenji had empty his entire tray. Still hungry, he pointed hopefully at the untouched buns on my tray. Once I nodded, he happily plucked it away and stuffed it in his mouth. A split second later, he was bowled over with a red face.

"H-hey," I spluttered around my straw. Seeing his red face, I patted his back, "slow down!"

The backslapping did the trick and he swallowed the bun with a sheepish grin. Clearing his throat, he grabbed the other bun on my tray and proceeded to wolf it down.

"What's the hurry?" I slid over my extra carton of juice.

"I have practice in two hours," he explained while chugging the juice down with a grateful sigh. "I was starving!"

"Oh, right!" I exclaimed. "You'll have to give me a schedule – I want to come to your matches!"

Kenji almost spat out the juice at my words, "r-really?"

"Of course," I answered in an obvious tone.

"This will be cool!" He glanced around suddenly and asked, "Karen, you make any new friends yet – you know, besides me?"

His question had me frowning. Honestly, there was hardly enough time to make any friends. Most of the morning we stayed in the same classroom while the teachers changed every hour. I did switch class once, which to my relief, was the same class as Kenji. Even though we had a majority of subjects together (he had a few advance classes), we had a different homeroom.

Throughout the morning, it was mostly filled with lectures. I was too busy taking notes to concentrate on my classmates. Likewise, they were scrawling away and flipping pages. This school was prestigious.

Now that it was lunch, there was a reprieve from all the work. Earlier, I was too focused on getting lunch, but with the hunger sated, I took notice of the whispers around us. I saw a group of girls giggling at a table. The leader, well, she had to be, because she was beautiful, was staring at me in a critical way. She seemed to find something funny and laughed loudly. I stared at her, taking in the too, short skirt (how did she get away with that?), long, sleek, black hair, and porcelain looking skin. I sighed wearily at her long legs. My legs were twigs compared to hers.

"No, everyone seems too into studying." Hearing the laughter again, I glanced away. "Any luck with you?"

Kenji glared moodily over at another table. There was a group of boys, laughing at Kenji, in much the same way, the girls were laughing at me. I noticed that several girls in the cafeteria were staring dreamily at this particular group of boys, especially at the boy in the center of the group. This boy was the one Kenji was glaring at so hatefully.

"No," he grumbled finally, "but some of them haven't been too nice." He sighed then. "It's to be expected, I mean, we're the new foreign kids."

Kenji didn't look too foreign. He was rather good-looking, even if he was tall and scrawny. He had messy black hair, which always stuck up in the back. Of course, that was the hairstyle here and it suited him. He also had nice hazel eyes. At least, his eyes weren't bright blue. My brown hair I could work with, but the eyes stood out. I heard 'white girl' and 'typical American', once or twice… a handful of times.

"Plus, I'm nerdy looking."

I choked on my spring roll. "You're not nerdy!"

"Okay, okay," he laughed. "Well, it's also because of that guy," he nodded his head over at the popular boy from earlier. "He's the star tennis player, you know? He's already giving me crap about it too. He's number one in several districts."

"Until you," I defended.

Kenji blushed.

"Karen," he started up while I continued to eat, "I never got to ask, but how long have you been here – I mean, you speak fluently."

I stared at my communication ring with a frown. I didn't know how to answer Kenji. I wished I could tell him about _everything, _because he was becoming a very close friend. He was, in fact, the first friend I had made in school in a long time. Back at my other school, several of my orphan mates made a bad reputation for orphans and the school gossiped about it constantly. It was expected that even I was a bad kid. Really, I was too clumsy and shy to be considered bad.

"Not long." I tilted my head, thinking of Koenma's words, long ago, when he explained about the documents for my adoption. "I'm adopted." I explained. "W-we lived for a while in the States, but we just moved here a few months ago." I thought of his other observation about my language speaking skills. "They were really good teachers and made learning things here easy."

"Wow! So this is all new to you!"

I grinned and nodded my head, grateful that he did not eye me in any unusual way. I found out, long ago, that some people thought of orphans as if they were ticking time bombs. I didn't want to lose Kenji.

"Are you," I glanced uneasily at him, "o-okay with this – I mean, me, as…" I let the sentence die into a broken silence.

Chewing his bun slowly, Kenji narrowed his eyes and I held my breath. Finally, he swallowed and looked over at me with a lopsided grin.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He then pointed at my orange. "Are you going to eat that?"

Laughing, I pushed my tray over to him, letting him eat the orange and the remaining food. He chuckled and began sorting through the food.

"Do you like them – your family?"

"They're great!" I mumbled the rest of my sentence, "well, it's the first time I've been adopted."

Indeed, it was the truth. I had never been adopted, because as a child, I had been too small and sickly. Many parents didn't want such a child, I suppose. They wanted the perfect child. When I finally stopped catching every common cold and grew into my own skin, I was too old. They didn't want a preteen. They wanted an adorable kid.

I never seemed to fit in with the world's schedule.

At first, I was sad. I always wondered why everyone else got the family while I was set aside. Then, I learned to be happy for the other kids. It did no one any good to dwell on such selfish thoughts. So, I grew up with the other orphans like me – the ones who were passing the age of getting noticed by parents.

We grew up, went to school, worked odd jobs – and then, those too stopped. Most of them run off before they reached adulthood and I always wondered if they made it. I was tempted to do the same, but Maria always seemed so sad whenever they left. I wandered, but I always came back…

Glancing at Kenji, I saw juice dripping off his chin. I smiled at him in amusement and handed him a napkin. When he didn't take it, I wiped at his chin.

"Can I meet them?"

I grinned and raised a brow. "You just want to eat my mom's cooking!"

He rolled his eyes, "duh."

"Thanks, Kenji." I said, wondering briefly if he'd understand why I was thanking him.

And strangely, he did seem to understand. In response, he nudged my shoulder with his knuckles and replied with, "come on."

Together, we shuffled past the odd clique groups, popular students, scowls and laughs, to empty our trays.

* * *

"Wow, Yukina! I always enjoy your cooking."

Yukina smiled at the compliment and hummed contentedly. Flipping her chopsticks around, she grabbed some fried vegetables and placed them in his bowl – not something one normally does, but in a way, it was an intimate act. Kazuma grinned and tore into his food with pleasure. He looked blissful with his silly grin and the way he was hunched over while eating his food.

But, he could not fool Yukina.

Quiet and observant, Yukina could see all the changes in him. She knew he was trying to be happy for her sake. He was trying not to worry her and did so, by hiding behind too wide grins and too loud laughter. He was always considering her welfare by making sure she was happy and safe – even if he was consumed with overwhelming sadness.

She wanted to do the same for him.

She did not appreciate the way his eyes were lighted one moment, and then dull the next, as if stage curtains were raising and falling, repeatedly. She did not like how his goofy grin was strained at the corners, because he was forcing the mere act to portray false happiness. She hated how he tried to put up a front for her. She wanted him honest and bare – his emotions naked before her eyes.

Kazuma was always thinking about everyone else and never himself. He cheered for all of his friends, even if he was the only one cheering for them with boisterous glee. When something was too heavy for one's shoulder, he always took up the slack, taking the weight with stubborn determination. He never let a friend down – anyone down. He never gave up. He was always pushing forward for everyone else.

Many people were wary of the tall man, because there were whispers of his past as a bully and delinquent. After all, he had been the rival of the famous Urameshi – still was, if anyone ever cared to ask. He barely passed middle school because he was too busy fighting, which was a fact his sister pointed out as a daily reminder. They thought he was dumb. Sometimes, they called him the Idiot. To her, he was always just Kazuma.

Yukina saw past all of the rumors and harsh observations. She knew how intelligent he truly was, evident by how much she gushed about his accomplishments to anyone willing to listen. She knew the kindness that he held in his heart. If his heart were compared to hers, his would be gold and hers would be azure.

People did not know that Kazuma was a deep thinker or that he liked to sit and reminiscence, but she knew, and had often sat beside him while he pondered life. They did not know how hard he studied, staying up late into the night to achieve the best grade. She knew and had often reminded him before he left her, to make sure he had a snack every few hours. They didn't know that even after a long night, he still managed to help his friends and smile through it all.

Many people thought of her as naïve and perhaps, mindless to great deal of the world around her – that there were both, good and bad, people. But Yukina was always aware of the changes in people. She had seen violence. She had even been a victim to violence. How could they think of her as naïve? She wasn't innocent. She was an ice demon – born from a village of heartless people.

Yukina was not innocent.

Of course, that did not mean she was heartless. Since meeting Kazuma, she had done her best, every day, to be just as warm as he was – cherishing others to the best of her ability. She had taken it upon herself to do all she can for her friends, because she wanted Kazuma to be proud of her as she was of him.

She had been given a new life after all. She had witnessed the bravery and happiness of those around her and she cherished it. She would never be like her people and turn her back on such kindness.

She also wished that _he _would see that in her, instead of flashing those kindred eyes at her, unknowingly comparing her to the coldness of her people. How naïve _he _was for thinking that she did not know of the bond between them. She had felt his presence all throughout her life, watching her from the shadows. They had even received a growth spurt around the same time. She was over a hundred, but her body had not advanced for her child yet – because she had met Kazuma. Her body had changed for him to wait for the moment they would mate.

Yet, _he_ never told her – would _never_ tell her of his identity.

At first, he angered her, because when they finally came face-to-face, she had expected him to tell her of his true nature. However, he simply looked away and constantly told her that he had not found her brother. She could have come out and ended his game. She could have ended the game with all of her friends – her friends he had threatened into hiding the information from her ears.

However, she had not.

They were only following his wishes. Again, it was the sign of the loyalty her friends had for one another, for they were loyal to _him_ and to her – two siblings, where one looked and the other looked away.

Their friends were an odd bunch, because all of the different personalities clashed with one another in so many ways. They were calculating, cocky, cruel, and goofy to the reassuring, calm, upbeat and generous. Genkai was the rock, the life support for them all. And she could not forget Koenma because he had, unintentionally, brought them all together.

Karen, too, was a new addition to the family. Strange, how one quickly becomes a part of your life – this was exactly what Karen had done. She was a beautiful young woman, even when she was constantly denying it with a blush, stammer, or wave of the hand. She was bright too, seeming to follow Yukina's every lesson, whether it was how to properly set a table, or yes, understand the use for those slippers. She also seemed to have this strange, uncanny ability to draw in people – as if she was a light and everyone else was moths.

But she lacked confidence – and this worried Yukina, for Karen was bonded to her brother. She only hoped he would not change the strength and kindness of Karen's heart. She hoped Karen was strong enough to see past all his darkness…

"Kina?" inquired Kuwabara and she frowned curiously. "Are you okay – you seem a little lost."

"I'm just happy."

And with all her friends and him, she would always be happy.

He turned away then with a nod and resumed eating his meal. She watched him with soft smile, admiring the way his pinky stuck out slightly, as he held the chopsticks. Slowly, she set her chopsticks down and faced him fully.

There was a Human World custom, brought to light by her girlfriends that she had been waiting, every day, for Kazuma to share with her. She had a feeling her brother had something to do with it and she knew Kazuma, even if he wouldn't admit, had the greatest respect for him. However, she wanted this with Kazuma and she would not be hindered by her brother's opinion of him. She was ready for more.

This was a question long overdue.

"Will you marry me?" she asked softly.

The question echoed loudly in the kitchen, seeming to hit every wall and floor. Kuwabara paled and the chopsticks he held clinked onto the floor.

* * *

Bringing my rice bowl to my face, I began shoving the rice into my mouth. Chopsticks clinked against the porcelain bowls all around the table – it sounded like music almost.

After a week of school, I was glad that it was weekend, well, Sunday, anyhow. Sadly, there was Saturday school to look forward to every week (we went six days a week, instead of five). This school did not mess around, but I was hanging in there with the strength of a growing nerd. I also had Kenji, which helped, because what subjects I did poorly in, he excelled at, and likewise for him.

It was still just the two of us – our little group had not grown. Most of the students stuck together in groups, much like any other school. Keiko urged me to talk to them, and I made an honest effort, but they simply snubbed me with cold shoulders. There was one girl in my homeroom that was nice enough to sit beside me. She was quiet and shy, like me. However, we never talked, just sat in silence. And when we had to pair up in the lab room, she was always sidling over to my worktable. It was always good to have that sort of friend.

Surprisingly, I thought Kenji would have made a great deal of friends, because he was a tennis player – and a damn good one. Kenji should have told me he was a prodigy at tennis! I had had the opportunity to sit and watch him at one of his after school practices – he was swift and relentless when it came to dealing with an opponent in practice. No wonder he was offered a place in this noble school.

The only reason Kenji seemed to have trouble making friends or getting along with his fellow tennis mates, was because of Hiro – the number one tennis player in several districts and hot, bad boy of the year. Hiro was doing his utmost best to make sure Kenji did not make a single friend, save for me, of course. No matter what rumors Hiro spread around, I was going to turn a deaf ear to it.

So, we remained the clumsy, dos amigos.

Thinking of Kenji brought back my conversation with him on the first day of school. All week I had been thinking of my new life and what a fantastic life it was. I had a family, albeit adoptive, and friends. It was what I had always wanted.

But no matter how grand life was becoming, there were the little glimpses of my previous life. No, that life had not been bad. In fact, I had had a good childhood. I was not deprived of much. I never starved. I always had a place to sleep. I had someone to talk to whenever I was lonely. I had toys, even if they were shared with everyone else. I had also had Maria and Jesse.

It was simple and kind life, which had ended without a goodbye.

Perhaps, that was why I felt a little sad. I had never given them a proper goodbye – a thanks for giving me a childhood as best as they could provide. I was supposed to finish school, turn eighteen, and hug them goodbye.

Instead, I ran away.

"Karen?"

Chopsticks snapped in front of my face and I shrieked. The rice from my bowl flew across the table and landed on Hiei's shirt. I ducked my face in embarrassment while he angrily swiped at his shirt.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Karen, is something wrong?" she pulled her chopsticks away for she was the one who had snapped them. "I asked if you wanted to go to Lake Kawaguchi, because in three weeks, the cherry blossom trees will be blooming!"

My eyes lit up at the thought of cherry trees. "Yeah, that sounds great!

"I thought you would think so," she replied knowingly. Peering at my face, she frowned worriedly, "is something wrong?"

Maria and Jesse's face flashed briefly before my eyes and I poked around in my rice bowl. I may not be able to see them again, but I had to know if they were okay. I had to know if Jesse was okay.

"Keiko, is there some way that I can speak with Koenma?" Hiei stared over at me with a raised eyebrow and I ignored his eyes. I wasn't going to tell Koenma about anything pertaining to him. "I-I just have something to ask him."

Keiko's frown caused her eyebrows to furrow, "sure, but – I mean, everything is okay, isn't it?" She touched my hand uncertainly and there was a flash of panic in her eyes. "You are happy here, right?"

Was she serious? I had never been happier in my life. To alleviate her worry, I laughed off my request with another helping of rice. Koenma was too busy anyways. Maria and Jesse were fine. They would always be fine. I had to focus on what I had now.

This was my life.

"Of course," I beamed over at her. "It's nothing to worry about – I was just going to ask how he keeps from dropping his pacifier when he talks." Hopefully, she would buy the joke.

I don't think she bought the joke, but she seemed more at ease with the answer. Hiei was still staring at me, probably trying to figure out what it was I wanted to ask Koenma. To settle the mood, I flashed them a couple of smiles. Reflexively, I even flashed one over at the head of the table – Yusuke's chair.

"Let's wait until Yusuke gets back, okay, Keiko?" I suggested. She broke into a watery grin. "Because, you know he's going to be angry if we go without him."

"That's a wonderful idea."

"Hn."

And we finished eating with a little more gusto, except for Hiei.

It was a nice life.


	17. Confessions Bring Forth Understanding

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen- Confessions Bring Forth Understanding

* * *

I never knew how peaceful nature truly was, because most of my life, I had lived in a city where the night was more alive than the day. I had lived in a city where neon lights lit up the sky, shrouding the small pinpoints of light that had been illuminating the darkened skies for centuries. Buildings of various sizes littered the city and some even shielded one's vision from the blinding sun, becoming manmade clouds. The buildings created shadows, an inky blackness that covered the streets, hid faces and made the day into night.

To think it had been my birthplace.

Now, the wind here, in the forest, smelled, tasted and felt different. Yes, the wind had been present in the city, but it felt different here. I had never thought the wind could smell like anything and if I were to describe the scent, it would be difficult to explain. It just smelled so free and calming, which is funny, because those were not concrete scents. But if one were just to stand there and inhale, well, I think they may be able to understand my musings.

All my senses seemed to hone in on the wind. A nice and gentle breeze would tickle my skin, bringing about a delicious shiver. Sometimes the wind brought unique smells like tree sap or the aroma of assorted wildflowers.

Nature always made me happy.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason why I was in a good mood today.

Hiei walked quietly behind and slightly to the right of me, as we trekked through the forest behind the house. I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes, noting the small scowl on his face. He walked with his eyes closed, matching my pace with steady, but sure steps, a confident swagger.

Wearing a sleeveless gray shirt and black pants, he looked intimidating, as always. The muscles in his arms were sculpted, revealing his strength and power. The slight breeze made his shirt ripple and I watched the fabric billowed, where it seemed to bring about my thoughts.

Three weeks into the school year and I was beginning to enjoy my day-to-day life. The schoolwork was terrible, quite a frustrating challenge, but I always finished the work. Kenji and I studied nearly every day. Most of the time, he'd insisted on studying at my house. I think he had a crush on Keiko, because every time she was around, his cheeks would turn red.

Kenji was a great friend and he seemed happy whenever he came over. I had found out that Kenji was an only child with a rich father. His mother died of cancer when he was eleven and it was just the two of them, that is, if Kenji's father wasn't away on his countless business trips. Kenji was more alone than normal kids were and all he had was a nanny and my friendship.

I met his father once, but only because he had decided to pick up Kenji from school. He was tall, like Kenji, with broad shoulders and a handsome face. They actually looked alike, because they both sported the same black hair and warm smile. It seemed to make Kenji happy whenever his father would pick him up instead of having to bike home.

I was glad Keiko liked Kenji, because he was becoming a good friend. It was also nice that Kenji's presence could distract Keiko for a while. On the outside, Keiko seemed happy and calm, but when no one was looking, she'd glance sadly out the window.

I knew she missed Yusuke. I missed him too. He had been gone for a little over a month, which was too long. Like Keiko, I worried about him, but Hiei would rudely remind me, with snide remarks, that Yusuke was more than capable of taking care of himself, and didn't need the incessant worries of human women.

Hiei's sarcastic words were nothing new, but whenever Kenji came over, it was all that ever left his mouth. He was always glaring at Kenji, even more than he glared at me.

-Flashback-

"I know he's a friend of your parents," Kenji placed his hands behind his head, "but he makes me nervous."

True, Hiei did tend to make people nervous. I know that personally. Still, I couldn't help but giggle at the way Kenji's face scrunched up.

"It's not funny." Kenji waved his hands, "he doesn't like me and I know it. I hardly ever hear him talk too, which is a bad sign!" He eyed a kid dressed all in black with a wary eye. "Quiet people are dangerous."

Laughing, I bumped my shoulder against Kenji's arm playfully. "Hiei talks and he's not dangerous." I fiddled with my cell phone before finishing, "he just doesn't take to new people."

Kenji dismissed my words with a snort, "how do you even talk to him?" Before I could answer, he fired another question, "how can you even ride around with him, because I'd be freaking out –"

"As if hanging with you is safe," greeted a cold voice. "She's safer with me than in your presence." I glanced around Kenji and spotted Hiei, "you're rather clumsy, even while walking."

Eyeing Hiei, my friend stiffened. Perched atop the bike, Hiei made a frightening image. I was used to seeing Hiei on a daily basis, so finding him leaning against the motorcycle handles and hiding behind dark sunglasses didn't scare me like Kenji. Of course, some of the fear was probably due to the smirk aimed toward him.

"Hiei," I stuck up for Kenji, because he was my friend, "I'm pretty sure that I'm much clumsier than Kenji."

Snapping out of his frightened stupor, Kenji clenched his fists. "I can walk!"

"Barely," countered Hiei.

Usually, Hiei was never this talkative. In fact, he had only officially met Kenji two days ago and he said more to Kenji than the first week we were force to bond with one another. He was being kind of rude too and had engaged my friend in a glaring contest. The contest was futile, really, because Hiei never lost in a stare down.

"Uh," I stepped in front of Kenji, effectively blocking him from Hiei's narrowed gaze, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Just then, a black Nissan pulled up on the opposite side of the parking lot. Somewhat disgruntled, Kenji didn't say a word. However, he did toss me a smile and give Hiei one last glare before jogging toward his ride. I planned on waving Kenji off, but there was a slight tug on the strap of my book bag. Sighing, I allowed Hiei to tug me toward him.

"Hiei," I began quietly.

In response, Hiei tugged me closer with a soft grunt.

"That wasn't really nice." I didn't want Hiei to chase off my first friend from school. I glanced up at him from beneath my lashes in a pleading way, "he's my friend."

"You consider someone of idiotic nature as a friend?"

I waited until Hiei finished snapping the helmet on my head. "He's not idiotic, he's smart," then, "and yes, I do consider him a friend."

Grasping the sides of the helmet, Hiei locked eyes with mine. I tried to match his glare, but failed within a few seconds and hurried to blink away the accumulating water.

"He's an idiot," growled Hiei.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I glanced to the side. "I guess that makes me an idiot too, right?"

"No."

I waited for him to elaborate, but he simply smirked. Reaching up, he thumped the top of the helmet and the plastic thudded loudly against my ears. Annoyed, I settled behind him with a slight huff.

Several stop signs later, he finally said, "it makes you a fool."

-End of Flashback-

I contemplated the conversation and wondered at his answer. Then, whenever I tried to think and walk, something had to throw itself into the path of my worn sneaker. I hit the ground with a grunt. Cursing silently, I pulled my knees up to examine the damage. There was a clump of dirt on each knee and a rather lengthy scratch (luckily the bleeding wasn't too heavy), but other than that, it seemed fine. I had had much worse.

"Little fool."

"It's not my fault," I quickly defended myself, even though it had, indeed, been my fault. "I didn't see that tree root."

With a grimace, I tried to stand, but pain pulsed in my left ankle. Yelping, I sat still and pulled my left knee up to peer down at my ankle. Surprisingly, Hiei was crouched next to me. Slapping my hands away (which was quite rude!), he grabbed my leg, my rather _bare_ leg, since I had foregone pants and opted for shorts. His calloused hands trailed down gently and created a tortuous tingle.

"Hiei," I asked breathlessly while wishing I had worn pants, because his touch was causing my skin to overheat, "what –"

Always the alpha male, he snapped out, "be quiet."

Flustered, I crossed my arms and stared off into the distance. There was no use arguing with him, because it would only escalate into a heated argument where I would go limping off with a wounded pride. Instead, I focused on breathing, in and out, and everything is going to be okay –

"OW-WAH," I wailed and jerked away from his hands. _"What are you doing?"_

As an answer, he nearly pulled me in his lap and growled out, "quit moving!"

"It feels fine." No, it definitely was not fine! However, I was already trying to convince him otherwise, "I can walk and – oh, god, that hurts – OW!" Twisting, I tried crawling away. "I'm serious, that really," my teeth clashed together to emphasize the pain, _"hurts!"_

"Just handle the damn pain!"

"No," I hissed out with as much venom as I could muster, "quit touching me!"

"You're only making it worse for yourself by squirming around," he drawled out coldly.

I opened my mouth to argue, state my case, do something, but he was right. And just to spite me, as if he could hear the prattle of my thoughts, confirming his reasoning, his lips curled up slightly at one end into that cruel smirk. Doing my best to ignore the pain, his smirk, and the humiliation of suffering one of the worst blushes of my life from his surprisingly gentle touch, I glared at the ground.

"You fool," his fingers wrapped around my ankle, "it's impossible for you to not damage yourself on a daily basis."

Staring up at him beneath my lashes, I expected to see his face twisted into one of annoyance. He did look annoyed with his jaw tensed, but his eyes, even though they were narrowed, were glinting with some unknown emotion. I glanced from his hands to his face, wondering what on earth could cause that reaction.

"You sprained your ankle," he suddenly hissed out, sounding livid, "and it's already swelling." Okay, so it's hurt pretty badly, but he didn't have to get pissed! With a low growl, he backed away, as if I had some sort of disease. "Must you keep hurting yourself," and there it was, that horrid glare, "because having to keep watching is annoying."

Ducking my eyes, I glared at a patch of grass and moodily muttered under my breath, "I've never asked you to watch me." Then, feeling vindictive about his attitude, I raised my voice, "I've never asked you for anything!"

"Like it matters," he scoffed, "your foolish self just screams for help." Shoving his hands into his pockets, he spun away and accused roughly, "your actions are enough to drive a man insane!"

"I don't have to be coddled like some child." I sat up straighter, the words ripping out like a sob, "and I don't see why you're so angry –"

There was a bark of laughter, an unpleasant one, meant to mock, "I'm not."

"Then why are you yelling?" And even as I said it, I realized he was probably only doing so, because I was growing louder with each word, "and insane – how can I drive a man insane?"

"Yes, insane," his words dripped with acid, "they would have to babysit you, wondering if you're going to trip and crack that thick skull of yours!"

"I doubt you'd care if I cracked my skull open!"

I turned away then, trying to hide the unshed tears glittering at the corner of my eyes. I was prepared to limp away. I needed to find a quiet place to pick up the pieces of my shattering pride. Of course, Hiei had to shatter it even more by yanking the fabric of my sleeve. Hauling me up, he quickly slipped an arm around my waist and one beneath my knees.

"Put me down," I slapped at his chest, "I don't want you carrying me!"

"I could care less what you want," he sneered. I was ready to slap his chest again or maybe his face, but one slap was enough (and I was lucky to get away with the first one). He growled low in his throat and the sound rumbled in his chest. That noise, that very growl, was a warning, and I immediately dropped my hand. Even I knew when to behave, especially when threatened.

"What," he asked bitterly once several minutes of silence passed. I continued to sit there within his arms, not even making the effort to wrap an arm around his neck to help him carry me, and instead had my own arms crossed tightly across my chest. "Have you nothing to say now," he continued in that same bitter tone.

…

"Hn."

…

"Your cold shoulder will not bother me."

…

"I'd rather enjoy the silence."

_Then quit talking_, I thought angrily, _you bastard!_

Immediately, at that rash thought, he stopped. I don't know where the feeling came from – somewhere inside my stomach, where it bubbled up like a potion in a witch's cauldron. But I had the horrible feeling he had heard my thought. Surely, this was a lurid idea. There was no way anyone could read minds – I paled.

Hiei wasn't just anyone. He was a demon.

"Hiei," I reached up to cup his cheek. I had to see his eyes.

Before I could touch him, he jerked his head away. He wouldn't look at me and the idea of him reading minds grew stronger. There were warning bells roaring in my head, but I had to know the truth. My thoughts were supposed to be private. If he could read them, then I had a right to know!

"Hiei, can you read minds?" I demanded, sounding quite brave.

…

"I want to know."

…

"Because it's not right – unless, you tell me!"

…

Frustrated now, I grabbed at his shirt and bunched up the fabric. "You can read minds!" He didn't admit to the idea, but it was another tactic, I was using against him.

Silently fuming, he responded my tightening his hold until his fingers dug into my side and exposed thigh. Ignoring the pain, I continued to accuse him.

"It's true, right – that's why," I almost twisted away when his fingers bruised into my thigh, "you're getting angry."

…

"Answer me!"

– _Shut up! –_

The brutal roar of his voice rang inside my head and I cried out in pain. It made my head ache, as if his mere voice was splitting my head wide open.

Abruptly, he dumped me onto a nearby boulder and none too gently. Landing on my rear, I grimaced for the movement jostled my ankle. The throbbing in head began to die down and I rubbed my temple with a frown. Eyeing him warily, I watched as he turned away to stare into a thicket of trees.

"How long have you been reading my mind?"

"Hn."

Narrowing my eyes, I balled my hands into fists. After that display of hidden power, I deserved to know the truth. If he was going to hurt me mentally, then it seemed only right to warn me. Of course, warnings were out of his comfort zone. So, I'll settle for an explanation!

"I can read minds." Hiei finally answered when I opened my mouth to yell at him. Promptly, I closed my mouth and stared at him. "But," his voice turned deadly, "you were the hardest one to read and it angers me." He growled to emphasize his cruel annoyance. "I thought of it as a challenge. I wanted to break into your head, even if it caused me pain to do so, but I can tolerate numerous amounts of agony."

Hiei's voice was oddly soft, but his words were loud and clear, penetrating into my mind. His voice was hypnotizing and terrifying. I couldn't look away from him. I couldn't do anything. I should be afraid – go running off for help. But there was a little softness in him, not much, hardly a smidgeon – I had to believe there was, because I still trusted him.

"I eventually succeeded and unknowingly, you fought me… It hurt, didn't it?"

I thought of that day in the forest when I still lived with Genkai. I remembered the static ready to burst my eardrums. I could hear my heart in head. It did hurt. It was driving me crazy.

I stared up at him.

* * *

Yusuke pushed away from the tree he was leaning against and smirked openly at the approaching redhead. "Welcome to Human World – sorry, but I'm it for the welcome committee." He dusted his hands, "by the way, it took you long enough to get here."

Kurama's emerald eyes glittered. "I like taking the scenic route."

Yusuke snorted. "Yeah, I'll say. You had me waiting for a good thirty minutes."

"My apologies, but you could've gone ahead." True, Yusuke could have gone ahead. "However, I am quite curious." Kurama narrowed his eyes, gauging his comrade's facial emotions. "You had someone following me, why?"

"Just making sure," he quipped while turning to admire the setting sun. He liked the sunsets here better than in Demon World.

"I would provide proof, if you should ask it." Brushing a hand through his hair, Kurama turned to regard the sunset with his friend. "And what proof would you give me to show you are the real Yusuke?"

"Well, then I guess we're at a stalemate or whatever you call it."

"An impasse, yes," Kurama corrected.

With that settled, they both turned to each other with lighter eyes. Coming forward, Yusuke slapped a hand on Kurama's shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Damn, now I know you are Kurama." Yusuke chuckled and began leading the way back to civilization with more enthusiasm than he would admit. He was happy to be back at home. "Always using the same type of words as me, you know those synonym things."

"I didn't know that you knew of synonyms, Yusuke." Kurama laughed when Yusuke shot him glare for the innocent snub at his intelligence. "Anyhow, I can tell it was you by your scent – that and your use for words where you do not seem to understand the entire meaning."

"Yeah, well," he shrugged off the snub, "I figured the spy in our group would be a little difficult to sniff out." He kicked at a bush in order to step through the shrubbery. "Yomi was sure it was you though and I had to trust someone. I knew Yomi wasn't aware of anything yet, because you had yet to arrive in Demon World to let him in on everything."

"I was wondering why he met me personally," inquired Kurama. "Usually, he waits until I arrive at his estates. Imagine my surprise to find him sneaking up on me."

"Yomi has good senses and he said you were still a fox." He flashed Kurama a serious look. "Did you finish the truth seed?"

"Yes, of course, and it'll alert us to any hidden causes toward traitorous minds – may I ask what is going on, Yusuke?"

"This half-breed, named Takeo, came across my lands when I went scouting with Hokushin." Yusuke's eyes darkened as he recalled the fight. "He fought with Hokushin – pretty tough demon, but he was holding back. Before he left, he said there was a traitor among our group. He was dead serious when he said it."

"You didn't fight him, Yusuke? That is quite unusual for you."

"I wanted to see what he had – he was fast, I mean," Yusuke scowled and kicked a rock, "damn Kurama, I haven't fought in years. I tried firing off my demon gun and all that came out was my regular spirit bullet. I guess skipping out on all those tournaments have done a number on me. The only one I fight with is Kuwabara."

Kurama closed his eyes and sighed wearily, for he too, knew the frustration. "We all haven't fought in years, even Hiei – he's merely on border patrol. Kuwabara hasn't fought or used his spirit energy in a long time." He lifted a hand and murmured, "I have even refrained from using much of my powers."

"I thought you still worked for Koenma?"

"I have," he answered. "But I merely sniff out any rogue apparitions for Koenma's men. In fact, the only time I've used my whip was when Hiei and I went tracking down that demon in America months ago."

"Che," Yusuke grumbled moodily. "Maybe we should've fought more," he kicked another rock, "but Enki's been reigning champ in the Demon Tournament and I haven't felt the need to fight him since he all but reinstated my lands back." Sighing, Yusuke placed his hands behind his head. "Looks like we're gonna have to start slinging weights again – better buy some Icy Hot."

They continued a ways in silence, each going over the realization that they were going to have to start training again. Yusuke was debating on whether to ask Genkai for her brutal training lessons when Kurama cleared his throat.

"About the traitor," began Kurama, "we'll have to check with Kuwabara and Hiei before heading to Spirit World to investigate." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Kuwabara has been acting strangely, but that is to be expected with Shizuru's disappearance. Still, we have to be cautious. I take it that is why you didn't simply contact Koenma through the communicators?"

Yusuke nodded. "Yeah, I want to take out that traitor personally, but we have to hurry." He thought of Karen and Keiko. "We're checking with Hiei first."

Kurama was thinking of them too, but defended the idea that Hiei was the traitor. "Hiei hasn't been to any meetings and I doubt he is the traitor." Still, they had to check and he said so, "but, you're right on being thorough."

Yusuke nodded in reply, but soon stopped. He lifted his face to the wind and closed his eyes. "Something feels… strange."

Kurama took a deep breath and hardened in eyes. "Nature is still and brings a sign of danger."

"To hell with nature," he swore. "Let's get this done before something happens. Nature or not, I'll be kicking its ass."

* * *

"Even now, your thoughts are unclear and scattered, which will change with time, I'm sure."

Hiei had never spoken so much to me and for some reason that did not astound me. I felt oddly calm, even while he was speaking in such an infuriating tone. He hurt me, yes, but I still felt safe with him. We had the most unusual relationship – one that would never make sense, even to my own reasoning.

"Do you hate me?" he asked.

* * *

Las Vegas

A group of teens huddled around a table, laughing and drinking sodas. Outside, the sun continued to sink against the horizon, casting the colorful ribbons up into the sky. Red and purple streaked up above, becoming a dark blue with a few white sparkles. The trees became dark figures and the ground became a black sea. Suddenly, lights began flashing and the neon signs were coming to life. Cabs sped down the streets and groups of people travelled about with laughter.

Night was falling over the city, but the city was just becoming alive.

A young boy pedaled his tricycle beside his older brother. The little boy's older brother made faces, squishing his cheeks and crossing his eyes. Laughing at his older brother, the little boy didn't have to time to catch himself, as he tipped over. His older brother reached for him and cradled him in his arms to soothe the crying boy. Glancing down, both boys saw a huge crack in the sidewalk and then watched in terror, as the crack grew, becoming a loud rumble.

* * *

Kyoto

A woman pushed a baby carriage and her heels clicked against the pavement. Smiling down at her baby, she began cooing to her child. The baby gurgled at her with a toothless grin.

Hearing the squeal of tires, the woman paused and glanced around. She spotted a cab swerving in the street before it crashed into an SUV. The vehicles collided, creating a roar of metal against metal.

"What happened?"

"That idiot didn't even stop – his fault."

"Hey, what's happening to the ground?"

A young girl screamed, as the two demolished vehicles shifted, the ground beneath them pushing them upward. A building began rising from the ground with a surge of thunder.

* * *

Demon World

Two demons clashed against one another in a furious battle of power. Growling at one another, they began throwing punches. A fist to the face and a kick to the back created an old fashion brawl. The larger demon slammed his head into the smaller demon's forehead, sending him flying. The standing demon grunted with satisfaction as the smaller demon hit the ground and remained unmoving.

Strutting forward to claim the fallen demons gold, the ground shook and the demon whirled around to glare into the distance. A mile away, a temple began emerging quickly. Its tip was already reaching well above the demon trees.

* * *

Koenma was staring out the window, having caught up with a majority of paperwork, and contemplating on what he and Botan would be doing for the evening. He thought about buying her flowers, because he hadn't done so in a while. She always seemed to appreciate the flowers, any flowers, really, with a giddiness that had him grinning.

Although, he was tired and his neck hurt, Koenma was suddenly energized enough to stop and pick up a bouquet. He cleared up his desk, stacked some files, and prepared to leave when his door crashed open.

_"Koenma!" _chorused a multitude of voices.

It was a multitude of voices. His entire office seemed to erupt in a chaos of bright kimonos and colorful, half-naked ogres. They were all rushing forward and waving files in the air with wide, frightened eyes. He almost staggered back, slightly panicked (he approved the new worker's compensation last week!), as even more people filed into the room.

Not to appear thrown off, he hastily straightened his robes. He couldn't make out one word, but they seemed to all be screaming the same thing.

_"What is the meaning of this?" _he yelled and several ogres backed away, for he almost resembled the rage of his father, King Enma.

However, the frightening anger was diminished once another handful of ogres came bounding into the room. Outnumbered, greatly, Koenma waved his hands nervously. "This isn't an ogre revolt, is it – I let you have your ogre work organizations! I even signed the new policy last week!"

"KOENMA!"

His nameplate rattled onto the floor from the booming voice and he turned expectantly to greet the person, because he knew the voice like the back of his hand. Shoving her way through the mob and aided by her slapping ponytail, was Botan. She finally reached his desk and slammed several document in front of him.

Picking up the documents, he scanned the information. He was unaware of dropping every page to the ground after he finished reading. "This – _what is the meaning of this!" _he repeated.

"Temples are coming out of the ground, sir," barked Jorge, magically appearing beside Botan. "It's like in Demon World and they are finally shooting up!"

Another ogre appeared from behind George. "So far, we've recorded ten in Human World – it's happening at every earthquake site we've recorded!"

Grabbing a remote off the desk, a red ogre clicked a button and a screen appeared behind Koenma. They all turned, as one, toward the screen and it was like watching someone play bingo – blue dots were popping up in random locations. Koenma sank into his chair and paled at the sight of the map.

"My God," he whispered.

A ferry girl rushed to Koenma's side, tossing papers onto his desk. "The humans are panicking, sir! I was flying to pick up a spirit when a temple began emerging out of the ground." She shivered at the memory, but continued on, "the earthquakes, sir! Every temple is accompanied with the earthquakes – it's already all over the news! I could hear the screams!"

"That's not all!" A rather large ogre snatched from his fellow ogre's stack and held it up. "We just got news of the increase in Demon World's temples – the appearances have doubled and counting!"

Koenma groaned and hung his head in his hands. He was being overloaded with all the information and the news kept swirling around in his head.

"Not to mention the demons sighted," yelled a voice.

Koenma's head snapped up.

"One in Kyoto, another in Las Vegas," gushed a short ferry girl, as she read from a paper, "and this one here, appeared in Moscow – all three of them appeared just before the temples at these locations emerged."

"I saw one!"

"All dressed in black cloaks, as if they were involved in some sort of cult!"

"Ziri and I saw the one in Moscow – he was dancing! We could hear him laughing – laughing!"

A fat ogre shuffled forward. "Sir, no earthquakes or temples have occurred in Tokyo yet, but two apparitions have been spotting there – they're just sitting there, right in the center of Tokyo."

Koenma finally looked up and Botan almost gasped at the intensity of his eyes.

He was furious.

They should have had better control over this and yet, the rug out from underneath their feet. It was their job to ensure the safety of mankind and now, all this chaos was occurring below them. He would be damned before he fell to pieces from all the stress – he had to pull himself together.

"Listen up!" He hardly needed to say the words, because the entire room was completely focused on him the moment he faced them. "I want every SWAT team sent out immediately – have teams one, two and three sent to Demon World to check out the temples. I want the rest of the teams sent to Human World."

Several ogres nodded and sprinted away from the room.

"Give me a handful of ferry girls to be sent with each team to Human World. I want those temples to be invisible to the human eyes! Initiate code ten!"

The room stiffened.

"Code ten?" asked a timid ogre.

"Code ten," confirmed Koenma. "Call in our team of psychics – I want a complete mind sweep of the entire human race!"

The ferry girls bowed and headed out of the room, leaving Botan alone to remain.

To the remaining ogres, Koenma said, "start trying to identify these demons and pull up what you can. Also, monitor every earthquake site we've had and monitor the outcome of code ten." Lowering his voice, he stressed his last demand. "Keep me updated."

When the ogres were gone, Koenma whirled around to face Jorge.

"Jorge, head to the communications office and contact Genkai and Lena – Jorge?"

Koenma glanced curiously at Jorge who stood frozen with his mouth hanging open. Jorge's beady eyes were glazed over causing Koenma to growl and slam a hand on his desk. The abrupt noise startled Jorge with a jerk.

"Uh, w-what's going on?" Jorge uttered while rubbing his temple.

Koenma rushed around his desk and grabbed Jorge by the shoulders. "Now, is not the time to mess around, Jorge. Do you hear me? Snap the hell out of it and do your job."

Jorge's eyes focused upon Koenma's face and he quickly scrambled out of the room with a hurried apology. Crossing back around his desk, Koenma grabbed a blank sheet of paper and scrawled out a message.

"I'm making a list for you to give the SWAT office." Koenma explained to the only other occupant in the room – Botan. "Make sure _they_," she understood _they_ was their friends, "do not have their minds erase. He handed the note to her and she stared up at him. "Go find Yusuke and fill him in – he arrived back an hour ago. I'll have a portal open in an hour for you to bring them here – just give the signal. I want Hiei sent here too, so bring Karen along – it's fine," he answered her curious frown, "she's exposed to demons already, seeing you flying about will not matter. Just bring them here – I'm going to enlist SDF and they will handle the two demons in Tokyo. I rather they face the unknown than my team."

They stared at one another in silence while the office was still in chaos. The monitors were flickering with flashing lights and blinking with new dots. Ogres were dashing in to grab papers off Koenma's desk and just as fast, running back out to heed the orders. Outside, a horde of ferry girls were dipping below the clouds to Human World, as if they were fighter jets.

"Why is this happening?" Botan whispered.

"I'm afraid something terrible is about to take place soon." But whatever it was, he did not elaborate any further. Instead, he smiled gently at her. "Please, hurry Botan and be careful."

With one last look at Koenma, Botan smiled at her prince. Once she was gone, Koenma strode out of his room and headed down a darkened hallway to his father's office. He hardened his face, throwing up a façade with which to face his father, because he knew the conversation that was to come from the meeting.

SDF was needed.

* * *

I didn't answer his question.

From beneath my bangs, I saw him turn toward me. Not wanting to meet his eyes, I studied the ground with a frown. The grass and dirt crunched softly beneath his light steps, but his aura was menacing. I tried to push away the tension by focusing on the wind, and sadly, even that felt cold and hollow.

It felt like ages had passed. The seasons surely changed several times before the distance between us shortened. His pants brushed against my exposed legs. I could see his heavy boots. I could smell the soap, trees, and earth from his body.

I trembled.

When he kneeled down to sit on his heels, obviously trying to see my face, I turned away. He didn't touch me, but he might as well have done so, for I was completely in tune with his every breath.

_"Look at me."_

I automatically heeded the command, only to gasp in alarm. A slit appeared in the middle of his forehead and was slowly widening. I patted my pockets, searching for something to press against the cut before he could bleed – only, it was not a cut.

The slit widened and a bluish color began peeking through – it was a third eye.

I stared at the pupil. I took note of the odd light of this strange eye. I almost reached out to poke this surprising appendage, wondering if this were a trick – some illusion. Then, I was glancing at his, own, eyes. He was watching me with mocking curiosity, as if he already knew how I would react, and was simply waiting for me to fulfill those reactions. I suppose he was waiting for the scream, a look of utter disgusted terror. I only saw him.

"No," I mindlessly mumbled.

He wanted me to hate him and I should, but he should know by now, that I was incapable of hating even the darkest person. He wasn't always nice – hardly ever – but there were times I thought he was trying to be. That should be enough, right – to not hate him, because I didn't.

It would explain why I still felt safe in his presence. I was always content with the split second glances he aimed my way that were not narrowed in his familiar glare. I treasured the times he forgot to scowl whenever I entered the room. Bond or not, I was… happy to be around him.

Which was why, I was suddenly angry with him for thinking he could flash a third eye, scare me, and call it good. He was – he was my bond.

"No!" I yelled, this time with more feeling.

The admission had Hiei leaning away to regard me with curious glare. Stubbornly, I shoved him away. I was saddened, _hurt_, that he would try and chase me away like this.

"I'm not scared of you," I answered him with a heated glare of my own, "and I don't hate you." I was trembling now and hated the fact that tears were gathering in the corner of my eyes. Swallowing past the sudden lump in my throat, I forced the tears not to fall. "If I could ever hate you, it would be because you would chase me away with like this – by showing a side of you that you think I would not accept. I accepted you a long time ago." I looked at his eyes, and then back him. My voice lowered into a pained whisper. "If you really want me out of your life, then you are just going to have to have to tell me flat out that you don't want me, that you hate me, that I'm silly girl for thinking that we could have ever… had something."

He silently averted his eyes to stare at the ground.

"You think that just because you're a demon," I whispered, "you don't have to care." My voice sounded broken and I swallowed, trying to clear my throat again. "I think you're too scared to even try – or maybe even admit that yeah, sometimes you might just care a little."

Tired of sitting on this cold, hard boulder, I toed the ground with my good foot. Huffing, I slid forward until I was balancing on my unhurt foot. Without waiting for him to respond, if he ever would, I limped away from him.

"Where are you going?" he asked warningly, because I was ending the conversation.

I lifted my chin in defiance to his harsh voice. "You can keep talking, but I'm going home. I hate arguing." I wobbled dangerously, but quickly righted myself with a whimper. "It makes me tired and I don't care for it."

Hiei was suddenly in front of me. The swiftness of his speed had his bangs fluttering before they settled over his forehead. The third eye was gone now and there was no sign it had even existed. Crimson eyes blazing, he stepped closer to me.

"I don't understand you." It wasn't an answer to some difficult question, it was a statement to an underlying one – _why are you not afraid of me?_

He could do a great many number of things to me. He was constantly reminding me with all the glares and scowls he flashed my way. The fact that he could hurt me and withstand the reciprocated pain of the bond should have me cowering under a bed. I don't believe he was that cruel. He left bruises on me, but there was good in him. I could see it. I could feel it.

Honestly, my feelings were clouding my judgments of the world, people, and him. Every day, I put myself at risk for feeling something more for him. Every day was just a little harder to hide my feelings from him – but I was tired of hiding them.

Lowering my head, I frowned. "I just want to be w-with you. When you're near," I inhaled deeply, "I-I feel safe." I wasn't going to bother answering his question. I think we both knew I wouldn't answer the ominous question. Lifting my head, I gave him a tentative smile. "I'm happy with you, is that so wrong?"

He flinched, but the movement was so quick, I wasn't sure he had even moved at all. I waited with bated breath for him to say something, but he was so quiet. Perhaps, that was too forward an admission – maybe I should walk away while I still can.

"You're a weakness," he snarled bitterly.

"… I'm sorry."

…

…

…

"But I'll just have to deal with that."

Tentatively, I looked up at him beneath my lashes. His red eyes were glittering, but not in anger. They were clear and unreadable – and they were not narrowed.

My smile grew.

Without another word, he scooped me into his arms and began heading toward the house. I stared over his shoulder to admire the sunset. The last rays of light began bleeding with the inky blackness of night. Smiling sleepily at the colorful view, I rested my head against his shoulder and buried my face in the crook of his neck.

Hiei didn't tense and that was a remarkable detail.


	18. Reality Breaks Into Pieces: Part One

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here.

* * *

Chapter Eighteen- Reality Breaks Into Pieces: Part One

* * *

Yusuke couldn't help the grin that spread across his face the moment his house came into view. His warm brown eyes glinted softly, revealing the pleasure of finally being back in Human world. Stretching two muscular arms out, he threw his head back and let his chest expand to inhale the air. Nostrils flaring, he could smell the musty scent of the forest around him.

Kurama stood next to Yusuke and flicked a strand of red hair from out of his eyes. A second later and the lock of hair slipped over his forehead and across his emerald eyes, making the fox demon close his eyes in hidden annoyance. Retrieving a hair band from his pocket, Kurama reached back and gathered the bright strands together.

"Hiei is heading for the house," muttered Kurama after he finished tying his hair. Eyes glittering, he inhaled once more, "and I smell Karen, as well."

"You know," Yusuke stated while scratching his ear, "I've always wanted to know what it is you exactly smell. Like, cheese smells like cheese and meat smells like – well, meat. Anyways, what do people smell like?"

Raising an eyebrow, Kurama responded, "with the soul of a fox demon, my sense of smell is more sensitive than others, but you know this, Yusuke – don't you use your own sense of smell?"

Scuffing the ground, Yusuke placed a hand on the back of his head and laughed. "Well, I could, but I usually just stick to using my spirit energy instead of my demon energy to sense people. Besides, you rely more on that fox nose than the rest of us, so you're a pro at this!" Nudging his friend in the ribs, Yusuke waggled his eyebrows, "c'mon, what do I smell like?"

"Must you be so random, Yusuke?"

"I'm just curious." Frowning, Yusuke kicked a rock. "C'mon, give me someone's scent – does it smell like food or something?"

Peering to his right, he met Yusuke's intense gaze and groaned inwardly. The newly, reinstated detective was not going to drop the subject.

"Everyone has their own unique smell," he began.

"Well, alright." Yusuke didn't want to hear a long winded explanation. He just wanted examples and since Kurama had already commented on her, Yusuke asked, "Karen – what does she smell like?"

Kurama's eyes flashed and Yusuke raised an eyebrow curiously, wondering at the odd flicker in his friend's eyes. But then, at that moment, Yusuke could feel Hiei's approaching energy. Kurama must have picked up on it before Yusuke and the energy caught him off guard.

"Karen's scent is soft," answered Kurama once they continued walking, "like cherry blossoms – very floral."

"Flowers, huh?" Yusuke murmured. "What about me?"

Kurama forced himself not to roll his eyes and replied with, "soap."

"Damn, I smell good," and he smiled cockily, as if it was the best scent in the world.

Nothing else was said until they reached the crest of the hill behind Yusuke's house. They froze at the top and peered down at the bottom, awaiting the dark haired demon. Hiei was nowhere in sight yet, but he was slowly making his way.

Sighing, Yusuke crouched and sat back on his heels to observe the bottom of the hill with a cool, casual gaze. To give himself something to do, he reached out and plucked a blade of grass. Twirling the blade between his thumb and index finger, he closed his eyes. He listened to the quiet of the forest and there was the snap of a twig.

He did not actively move to acknowledge the sound, but continued to sit and listen. Finally, a dark figure appeared at the bottom. Like them, he had already sensed the two men's presence. He tilted his head up slowly and his red eyes glowed eerily in the darkening forest. Finally, Yusuke dropped the grass and stood to stare down at the demon. His eyes zeroed in on the person in Hiei's arms.

"Karen," muttered Yusuke, "what the hell happened?"

They stood a minute more to stare coolly at the demon below them. They were both trying to feel if Hiei was giving off any unusual energy, but it was own, the same as always. Kurama couldn't even detect a change in the demon's scent.

Silently, they set off down the hill. It didn't take long to reach Hiei and both men had never sped up or slowed down. It was simply a casual walk, but Hiei could feel his comrades' eyes on him, searching for some hidden trait.

"Good evening, Hiei." Kurama greeted once they were within range.

Yusuke's eyes flickered to Karen nestled within Hiei's arms. "What happened?"

"She's sleeping."

"Really," remarked Yusuke dryly. "Well, mind putting her down?"

"Whatever reason for, Detective – Like I said, she's sleeping."

Growling, Yusuke took a step forward only to be stopped by Kurama's firm hand. Holding Yusuke back, Kurama stepped forward to face Hiei with a calculating gaze.

"Forgive me for not properly greeting you," scoffed Hiei with a hint of annoyance.

"Why, of course, Hiei, you are forgiven."

"Enough." Hiei growled. "What is the meaning of this? You treat me, as if I –"He suddenly paused and glared into their eyes. After a moment, he hissed out in anger, "don't tell me this is an act of betrayal for you know that I hate traitors who act against me."

Reaching up into his hair, Kurama slipped a seed out from the red mane and twirled the seed between his fingers. A small smile appeared on Kurama's face and the casual grin made Hiei narrow his eyes in suspicion.

"I'm afraid we have hit a snag, Hiei," began Kurama. "Please, if you wouldn't mind, but could you place Karen on the ground?"

Yusuke's brows knitted together in anger and he pushed away Kurama's hand. Stepping forward, Yusuke's hand clenched into fists, as his temper flared.

"Yeah, Hiei," Yusuke muttered darkly. "_Put my kid down._"

"Your _kid,"_ Hiei answered while emphasizing the word 'kid' before continuing with, "is old enough to not be considered a _kid_, detective," his hold tightened on Karen, "and you should know by now, that I don't do well with orders."

"Hiei," warned Yusuke.

* * *

A low roar pulled me away from the depths of slumber. First, there was only a veil of darkness, that world of sleep, but soon, I could vaguely hear the outside world – it was that stage of sleep where one knew they were supposed to be sleeping, but something kept dragging one away from the stage of dreaming. In this case, the _something_ was a familiar voice.

Opening my eyes, Hiei's stubborn chin came into my view and I looked up sleepily to admire Hiei's unreadable features. He appeared to be normal – nothing out of the ordinary. It was dark now. The sunset was long gone and stars were popping up like glittering buttons. I searched around us and eyed the trees, sky, Yusuke, Kurama, grass – I blinked, forcing the heavy weight of sleep from my eyes.

Yusuke had been gone for over a month without a letter or phone call to Keiko to clue her in on his whereabouts. Yet, here he was, dressed in jeans and a white shirt with a blue overcoat, looking mad as hell. Standing beside him was Kurama clad in black pants and a long-sleeved, red shirt.

"Yusuke... Kurama…" I asked softly. Yusuke's name rolled off my tongue in a funny way, for I hadn't said the name too much because of his absence. "May I say hello or is this a dream?"

"A greeting will suffice as we are not a part of a hallucination." Kurama answered with a polite smile.

"Hey, kid," Yusuke greeted and his gaze softened. "Keep the house in order?"

Staring at Yusuke, a strange sense of happiness washed over me. It felt like such a long time had passed since I last saw Yusuke. Actually, seeing him after so long – well, it hurt.

Since the day he left, I had spent days making sure Keiko did not worry too much over him. I would finish my homework, accompany her to the store every few days, go out to her favorite teashop, watch her cheesy soap operas with her, make her take a daily bubble bath – but it was never enough to keep her from pining after him. I couldn't bear to witness her sadness anymore. The blank stares she would flash out the nearest window were almost too much to handle.

Now, here he was, acting just as I had remembered him.

I was ready to leap out of Hiei's arm and give Yusuke a hug, when I noticed the tension among the men. I glanced from each face, taking note of the guarded expressions.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly.

When no one answered, I looked up at Hiei for an answer. I waited for any sign of emotion to flicker across Hiei's face, but none came, as usual. He was a blank canvas.

"Hiei," I voiced uncertainly.

He didn't answer, but he did turn away from Kurama and Yusuke. Heading for a tree, he bent down and set me down on the ground with surprising gentleness. He remained crouched beside me and his bangs hid his eyes from view – not that his eyes would give anything away. Hiei was always guarded and even after being around him constantly, I still could not read him. It would probably be impossible to do so.

"Hiei, I don't want to have to use my fists," Yusuke threatened in a low voice, "but you're making me mad."

"Hiei, this is of importance." Kurama's eyes narrowed in warning. "Do not make a show of it."

"I'm not the one making a 'show' of it." Hiei countered while standing slowly.

"Please, Hiei don't be rash," replied Kurama. "We only need to check something – a traitor could be among us."

"A traitor," Hiei questioned in his smooth voice, "if I had wanted to betray you, I would've done so years ago." He stood and turned to face them. "I do not sit and wait for my opportunity. It is useless to do so."

At this statement, a silence ensued and I scooted to side to see more clearly around Hiei. Immediately, I noticed Yusuke's red face, which was growing redder by the second. Kurama was holding a hand up to his mouth and trembling with concealed mirth. Soon, the two men both erupted in laughter. Yusuke practically threw his head back and hooted to the moon. Kurama was more in control and laughed behind his hand. I had never heard Kurama laugh, not so loudly, at least – it was handsome. If he did that around women, he would have them fainting left and right. I stared at Yusuke – now, Yusuke's laughter was something I was definitely used to.

I leaned forward to look up at Hiei's face and he had his eyes closed in annoyance. Apparently, he did not find the laughter amusing.

Opening my mouth to ask what the deal was, I was distracted by a flash of blue. Turning my face up to the sky, I gasped at the strange sight. There was a familiar woman flying toward us! I could see her hair streaking behind her like a curtain of blue yarn.

"Botan," I pointed up at her, "s-she's flying!"

"Karen," asked Yusuke with an incredulous frown, "you can see her?"

"No, she can't normally, but I didn't think it was necessary to hide from her," interrupted Botan, as she landed in the center of our group.

"Botan, are you okay?" I asked, because she was breathing in short, shaky breaths.

"Yes," she heaved in a lungful of air, "I'm fine, thank you." Turning to Yusuke, she was all business now. "I need you to head to Spirit World now! We are in a terrible crisis! Temples have appeared out of nowhere – all over Human World and Demon World! Koenma has executed for humans to have their minds erased immediately!" She waved a hand behind, as if danger lurked there, "and two demons have already been sighted in Tokyo, but they are not the only demons – three more were sighted in various locations. SDF is supposed to handle them."

"Botan," hissed Yusuke, as he tried to clamp a hand over her mouth, "not in front of Karen!"

Furrowing my brows, I tried to decipher her strange lingo… SDF, temples, and mind erasing were not everyday words for me.

"There is no time for this!" she insisted while violently shoving Yusuke away. "You have to come NOW!"

The moment Botan screamed the last word, I thought the ground and trees were going to start shaking from her booming voice. In fact, that was exactly what happened two seconds later. It seemed almost mystical and maybe the other men were thinking the same thing as I was – did she have some sort of divine power?

But, no – this was a real earthquake!

There was loud rumble and the ground shook beneath us. In the distance, I heard several car alarms going off. There was a loud crack and I stared behind me. The tree above me swayed violently and in its dance, let loose a shower of nuts. Hissing, I covered my head to avoid the tree's seeds.

"I'm afraid there isn't time to head to Spirit World." Kurama held out a hand to steady Botan when she wobbled dangerously to the left. "I believe this is just a tremor from the real earthquake fixing to take place."

Botan's eyes widened. "But that earthquake would have to be huge – I mean, if this is the tremor –"

Kurama held up his hand to silence Botan. "No, Koenma showed us the seismic waves and these do not follow regular earthquakes, because in a sense, they're not really earthquakes."

Botan seemed to come to her senses, because she shook her head. "You're right – t-these are preludes to the arrival of a temple." She suddenly gasped. "I forgot! How could I forget!" she howled to herself before facing them with a pale face. "The three demons that appeared all showed up right before the temples arrived in their locations! The two demons in Tokyo – they're waiting for a temple!"

"And we can feel the tremors all the way from here," whispered Kurama in curious way.

"What are we waiting around for," remarked Yusuke with an angry glare. "We need to check it out, so let's haul ass –"The word died quickly on his tongue and he hurried to switch out the word, "butt – we are hauling butt!"

"No," Botan dismissed Yusuke's odd hesitation over the swear word. She was refusing to back down from her orders, or at the very least, try to put in an honest effort to enforce the order. "Koenma gave orders for you to head to Spirit World."

Yusuke looked furious and a large vein was ticking at the side of temple. Keiko always made fun of his angry face, because –

I gasped in horror at the thought of Keiko. "Keiko," I crawled around Hiei and stared up at Yusuke, "she's in Tokyo – her friend went into labor! She left around –"

"_Shit!"_ he swore violently. Whirling on Botan, he aimed a finger at her, "take care of Karen!"

Yusuke charged up the hill with Kurama following behind him at a fast pace. Glancing to the side, I met Hiei's eyes. We didn't stare at each long – only a second. With a growl, Hiei tore his eyes away and vanished. I stared worriedly, as the men disappeared beyond the hill.

_Please, be okay, Keiko, _I begged silently.

"Oh, my, Karen," exclaimed Botan with a slight frown. She was eyeing my ankle.

"Y-yeah, I tripped earlier," I murmured with a blush.

Quickly, she fell to her knees and placed her hands above my swollen ankle. I watched in silent fascination, as her hands began glowing. She was healing my ankle. I could feel the aura of the light cooling the inflamed muscle around my ankle. Slowly, the swelling went down until it was as good as new. I gave an experimental wiggle. It was completely healed.

"No time to sit and gawk, Karen," announced Botan with a sudden fierceness. "I have to call this in to update Spirit World – and oversee Yusuke and them! So," she flashed me a grin, but her eyes were tight at the corners, "you will just have to come with aunty Botan."

She held her hand out and an oar materialized below her palm. Silently, she grabbed my wrist and tugged me toward the flying device. Knowing what was to come, I pulled away with a terrified cry.

"No, no, no," I sputtered out and already the fear of heights was causing my body to tremble. "I'll be just fine here. I'm quite capable of taking care of myself!" There was an odd glint in her eyes and I backed away stiffly, "Botan, I'm old enough to remain here – Argghhh!"

With a surprising display of strength, Botan hauled me over to her oar. I was ready to scramble off, but she seemed to suspect that, and bid the oar to hover high enough where I wouldn't think of doing such a thing. I hurried to right myself by throwing my left leg over the wood to, properly, sit behind her before she flew too high.

_Oh god, _I screamed silently, once she lowered the oar in order to kick off the ground. My arms wrapped around her waist and squeezed tightly. There was a big 'whoosh' and we went shooting up into the sky. I could feel my hair whipping around my face. There was a feeling of weightlessness that had my stomach tightening in response.

I didn't look down. I knew if I did, I would end up hyperventilating. Instead, I buried my face into her back and concentrated on breathing. She smelled like strawberries and detergent, the latter probably coming from her clean pink kimono.

"Karen," yelled Botan over her shoulder and her voice sounded muffled from the speed of her oar, "can you loosen your hold on me? It's a bit painful, dear!"

"I hate heights," I muttered against her back, squeezing even tighter at the divulgence.

"What was that?" She shifted slightly and the movement caused us to tip to the left.

"_I hate heights!" _The words ripped from my throat in a shriek. "No, no, no," I hurriedly warned Botan when she shifted again, "don't move, please! I'm serious," I trembled, "I-I think I'm going to have a panic attack!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she gasped in alarm. "Okay, Karen, just breathe!"

"I-I am," I panted.

"Not too hard," she warned and I shook my head. I thought she was going to tell me that breathing too hard would cause too much oxygen to rush to my head and I would end up fainting. However, she surprised me by saying, "because I didn't shower yet! I mean it – I've been working all day and my deodorant is bound to have lost its edge."

An automatic giggle left my lips, sounding odd against her back. "Okay."

We were quiet for a few minutes and my hysteria was rapidly fading. She wrapped an arm over my hands to hold me better and I felt comforted at the small act.

"Karen, do you trust me?"

"Yes." The answer was quick and mindless – an honest answer. I did trust her.

"Do you trust that I won't let you fall?"

"Yes."

"And you won't hate me if I were to send us into a nosedive?"

For the first time, during the entire ride, I pulled away to frown at the back of her head. I was ready to tell her that I could never hate her, but then the last part of her sentence –

"Here we go!" Botan yelled and down we went into the heart of Tokyo.

I screamed.

* * *

Keiko left the hospital with a little grin. Walking out into the cool night air, Keiko beamed up at the partially hidden moon. The events from earlier made her smile.

The labor had been unexpected as Akiko, a close friend from college, was not due to deliver for another two weeks. With her husband away on a business trip and not expected to be home until tomorrow morning, Akiko had been scared once she realized she was having real contractions. Keiko was startled at the unexpected phone call, but had reassured her friend to remain calm. With that, Keiko had kissed Karen's cheek, grabbed her purse, warned Hiei to make sure Karen did her homework, and away she went in her little car.

Driving like a mad woman, Keiko was surprised she had not been pulled over, but she had arrived without incident. There was no one else around to help Akiko with the pregnancy and so Keiko took it upon herself to dress in the standard scrubs and gloves. Murmuring in a hush tone, Keiko quickly soothed her friend and had set out to encourage the terrified mother-to-be with a calm smile.

Two hours later and the cries from Akiko's first child were welcomed – she had a beautiful baby boy.

Remembering the baby's eyes, Keiko smiled dreamily. She wanted a baby. She had always wanted to try for a baby, but she had been too shy to bring up the subject with Yusuke. They were adamant about the creation part, but she was still on birth control. Maybe it was time to demand Yusuke to live up to his soon-to-be husbandly duties.

Only heaven knows they went at it like rabbits whenever he came home from Demon World or after they had an intense fight (she was surprised Karen had not heard them that one time they argued over his tardiness over the bill – no wait, Hiei had taken her to the library).

Well, they would discuss the issue, anyhow.

As she walked to her car, she dreamily imagined Karen dangling keys before a tiny baby while she and Yusuke observed their children with amused laughter. Even Hiei was in the image and leaning against the wall with an annoyed scowl, because he had baby food in his hair. The images continued to flash across her eyes and she laughed quietly to herself.

Reaching her car, Keiko opened the car door and prepared for the drive home – when she felt a vibration beneath her feet.

Loud screams pierced the air and people began running to in every direction – some to cars, buildings, and down the road. There was another tremor and this one was enough to knock her off her feet. She hissed in pain as she fell back on her hands.

Keiko staggered to her feet and eyed the buildings around them. They were beginning to fall apart and sending a shower of debris upon the panicked people. Large cracks were starting to cut into the roads and she backed up against her car. As one, all the cars' along the street began wailing – a mimicry of the peoples' screams.

She did not know what to do – should she drive away? No, that would be idiot, because the roads were lifting up in an image of a flimsy ribbon. She would never be able to navigate the roads in her car. She would have to run and find some open space in which to wait out the –

Across the street, a young teenager dodged out of the way from a speeding car. The car hit a crack in the road and went flipping across several parked cars. Hitting the ground, the boy shook his head to ward off the wave of dizziness from having smashed his head along the paved road. He did not see the large piece of debris raining down from the building and onto his sprawled out form.

Keiko acted on instinct and leaped over the crack separating them. Sprinting madly, she stretched out her arms, but the wreckage was growing closer –

"Watch out!" Keiko screamed.

The boy stared up at her stricken face and turned to face the cause of her stress. The sight of the fallen debris had his mouth opening into a silent scream. Before the debris could crush him, Keiko threw her body forward with a harsh cry. The momentum of her dive was enough to send them skittering out of the way, but not far enough. The debris hit the ground and shattered in several pieces. One of the pieces struck Keiko in the side of the head.

She eyed the boy through bleary eyes, struggling to fight off the impending darkness. His mouth opened and close, but Keiko could not hear him over the loud ringing in her ears. She smiled fondly at his blue eyes. They reminded her of Karen.

"You're alive," she whispered in relief, "thank goodness."

The boy kneeled over her unconscious form.

* * *

Yusuke stepped out of Kurama's flashy vehicle with a growl of annoyance. Eyes shifting to the side, he spotted Hiei kneeling upon a nearby building. Kurama calmly unfolded himself from his car and narrowed his eyes into a predatory glare. The only one missing from their group now was a tall, goofy man.

Somehow, the group seemed smaller without his presence.

"Damn it!" Yusuke glared up at the sky. "I told Botan to watch her, but that didn't mean bring her here!"

True enough, there was Botan and Karen soaring past them. Botan seemed to be talking rapidly into a communicator headset while managing to fly the oar one handed. Her other hand was pressed firmly against Karen's hands around her waist. It didn't look like Karen was too happy to be flying.

_Hiei's not too happy either_, thought Kurama. In fact, he could swear he saw Hiei's lips moving furiously into a string of curses. The swear words were not very pretty.

A tremor shook beneath them, disrupting the men's view of the flying women. A building up ahead was sinking into the ground and dust was billowing out in a large cloud. Floods of people were heading their way with wide eyes and pale faces. The screams seemed to rise as one, a chorus of deep fear.

Trying to make it to the center of the city, Yusuke began elbowing people aside with muffled curses. He could see Kurama doing the same, but more gracefully. Yusuke didn't even bother to apologize to the couple he rudely knocked to the ground.

Yusuke was halfway to his destination when he felt the unknown demon energy whipped past him like a sharp breeze. Clenching his fist, Yusuke glanced all around. Besides various buildings, tumbling to the ground, the insane crowd, and the flying women overhead – everything else seemed normal. But the energy was there. He could still feel it.

Yusuke glanced up at Hiei and the demon blurred away from his post atop the building. He was going to scout up ahead.

"Demon energy," murmured Kurama to acknowledge Yusuke's musings. He brought a hand up to his ear and withdrew his whip with a loud snap. "Well," he said wryly, "no precautions then."

At the sight of his rose whip, many people were already reeling away with screams. One particular woman, having had the opportunity to be standing next to Kurama, fainted as the whip materialized out of thin air. A man, perhaps her husband, tiptoed next to them, trying to appear as unnoticeable as possible, and dragged his wife away.

Yusuke watched the man heaved his wife out of the way with a bemused grin. "Good thing Koenma's having everyone's memory erased –"

Abruptly, Yusuke threw his body onto the cold pavement with a hiss. Kurama lashed out at several pairs of human feet, knocking them to the ground, before diving beside Yusuke. A split second later and an eighteen-wheeler zoomed overhead to crash into the store behind them. The impact caused another panic of screams and the people hurried to clear out of the way.

Yusuke was already rolling onto his feet when a feminine laugh reached his ears. She was hovering in the air and hidden beneath a black, hooded cloak. She laughed again and held her arms out in front of her with the palms outward. The tips of her fingers charged with a pale, green light and her cloak billowed around her legs. Yusuke recognized the element right away – wind.

_Damn_, Yusuke thought of his friend Jin, _I hate wind users._

The female demon was still laughing when Hiei blurred into view behind her with a raised sword. The laughter immediately ceased once she ducked to avoid the sweep of Hiei's blade. She had barely managed to avoid his blow, which was evident by the way her hood flapped back to reveal her face.

Scowling, the female demon glared at Hiei with bright, pink eyes. Before Hiei could get in another hit, she surged upward into the sky.

Hiei ran across the various buildings, slowly ascending to her level, when a dozen daggers went whistling toward him. He bounced back to avoid the daggers, but was surprised when the tiny blades turned in midair to follow him. Quickly, he began blurring into a series of flips and rolls to avoid the magical daggers.

"There's the other demon," warned Kurama, feeling a twitch to his left. Above, Hiei found the demon too and was blurring toward the cloaked demon with a legion of daggers trailing after him. The demon he was heading toward was the one controlling the daggers.

Yusuke nodded without taking his eyes off the female demon floating in the sky. She was gazing them at them with a smirk and the blond curls hovering around her face made her look like porcelain doll. Lifting a glowing hand, she sent a car speeding their way. She was using her wind powers to uplift the wreckage around them.

Yusuke dodged the car with ease and glanced over at Kurama, "Hiei can take the bastard. I got the girl."

Kurama nodded and leapt away, informing over his shoulder. "I'm heading to the center of the earthquake!"

Knowing his teammates were more than capable of taking care of themselves, Yusuke stared up at the female demon.

"Hey, little girl," Yusuke yelled rudely, "what the hell is your name?"

"I doubt my name will matter," she began in a melodious voice. "Still, maybe you should know the name of your killer." She swept a hand through her hair, "I'm Sakani."

Yusuke barked in laughter. "Well, I guess you know my name and if you don't, then who cares?" Her voice was causing his temper to flare. She was going to be an annoying opponent. "I'm just gonna kick the hell out of you anyways!"

* * *

Tokyo was always so lit up at night. The city was beautiful and reminded me of New York. The buildings stretched to the sky and the streets were packed to the brim. Laughter echoed from every shop, like a joyous lullaby. At night, the smell of food seemed to grow stronger and made every one stop to sniff the air with an appreciative stomach growl.

Sometimes, Keiko and I would head out here and go window-shopping while eating ice cream. Kenji and I would drive here and watch a late night movie, because the theaters were much bigger here than in Hakone. Hiei and I had done my school shopping here…

But I don't we would be doing some of things for a long time now.

It was the screams, wailing cries of fear, which tore my eyes away from Botan's back. I was too horrorstruck to remember that looking down may cause my heart to go into overdrive.

Tokyo was in chaos.

Car alarms were flashing and screaming all along the roads. People were running in every direction, looking like small ants from our position. Buildings were sinking, one by one, with thunderous roars and clouds of dust. The roads were cracking apart and cars were sinking into the widening holes.

"Botan," I asked numbly, as we watched the devastation below us, "what is going on?"

She was silent, but she seemed stricken with fear at the sight of the pandemonium too.

Together, we moved lower until we could find our friends. I remembered vaguely seeing them when we arrived, but then the earthquake was taking its toll, and Botan flew us higher into the sky. I searched through all the rubble with a worried gaze.

"There's Yusuke," I pointed out to her and she turned her head in the direction, "but no sign of Kurama and Hiei."

I was starting to worry for the two men, but the fight below distracted my worried musings. There was a young woman with blond, curly hair flying around Yusuke with a murderous glare. She kept swinging her arms and with each swing, a car would go soaring toward Yusuke. Twice, she came close to hitting him, but then Yusuke would come charging out of the rubble with a mad smile on his face.

Emotions whirled inside my head as I watched Yusuke dodging for his life. He was at a disadvantage, because she was able to fly around with ease. Every time a car would graze past him, I was clutching at my heart with a pained gasp.

I knew about the world of demons and grim reapers. I knew about spirit detectives. I knew about demons. I knew about all these oddities – but to come face-to-face with it like this was mind blowing.

Everything was happening too fast, as if I were sitting on a merry-go-round, being pushed too fast, and viewing the world through a blur of colors. This all seemed unreal and strange – completely out of my control. Questions drummed inside my head, pushing against walls, wanting to spill forth like a secret that was too powerful to keep.

I was growing dizzy with all the thoughts and barely made out Botan's terrified shriek. Before I could question Botan, she placed both hands at the front of her oar and zoomed off. It was just in time too, because a vehicle went barreling past with a gust of speed. Botan struggled to right the oar as it teetered dangerously to the left.

I glanced down while Botan huffed to straighten out the oar. It was the flying woman – she had sent the car. She was no longer engaging Yusuke in battle, choosing instead to target us. She lifted her hands and sent two vehicles our way with fanatic laughter. Yusuke was running below her and aimed a finger up at us. He waved his other hand with a wild look, motioning for us to leave, but Botan was –

"Botan," I pushed at her back, as if that would get us moving, "MOVE!"

She didn't hesitate. She leaned forward to cut through the air with tremendous speed. There was a flash of light and the building next to us shook from the explosion that followed. I glanced over my shoulder to survey the damage, thinking the cars were gone, but the woman had sent another car. The vehicle was so close that I could see my reflection against the shiny paint.

"_Botan, left, left, left!"_

She must have heard the panic in my voice, because she leaned to the side. Helping her, I threw my body to the side and the oar cut to the left sharply. The vehicle slammed past the air and sent up a shower of glass from a nearby building.

"Where is she – where is she?" yelled Botan in a panic.

There was frustrated growl to our right and we both whipped our heads around. She was there, flying beside us. Her pink eyes sparkled with malicious intent as she reached out with a glowing hand.

In all my life, I had never seen such a look of pure evil. For a moment, I was frozen, unable to take my eyes away from her. She was closing in, like the car. I could see my eyes within her eyes and they were wide with fear, the deer-in-headlights look.

Any minute now and she was going to touch us with that hand, that horrible, glowing hand.

"NO!" The fierce cry tore from Botan's mouth and was enough to drag my eyes away from the woman.

Pulling hard on the front of the oar, Botan made the oar spin abruptly. There was a pained cry as the end of the oar collided against something, hopefully the woman. I clung to Botan, watching as the world spun into various colors. The air was screaming in my ears. Once the spinning stopped, I saw the woman clutching a reddened cheek with an angry expression.

Botan didn't wait for the oar to steady. She simply threw all her weight forward until we were zipping toward the street. She was expertly dodging around light poles, cars, going up and over under passages, and twisting around every odd obstacle.

Knowing Botan needed my eyes, I looked over my shoulder to find the woman. She was chasing after us with fury and sending cars every few seconds. I was hardly aware of yelling the locations of the car, but the directions were flying out of my mouth, and Botan was heeding them with quick reflexes.

"Another one to the right, Botan – hurry, it's closing in and," I turned back around, "Botan?"

There was a glint of metal and I gasped at the sight of it. A dagger was embedded into the back of Botan's shoulder.

Wrapping my eyes tighter around Botan, I pulled her against my chest, "Botan!"

"N-no, it's nothing," she moaned while clutching her injured shoulder.

The oar was tilting dangerously from Botan's shaking hands. Behind us, the cars were still crashing and the woman was cackling madly. Botan was flying to the best of her ability, but we were heading lower and lower to the ground. Then, a car shattered right next to us and the pieces went flying. One piece went flying toward Botan and struck her in the head.

"Oh, god," I hauled all her weight against me as she slumped forward.

I reached forward with a hand to guide the oar, but we were already spinning in furious circles, like a plane losing altitude. The ground looming closer and closer and – I wrapped as much of myself around Botan, trying my best to shield her from the impending crash.

I waited for the asphalt to tear at my skin.

We hit the ground, but not asphalt. Instead, we were flung across a soft, leafy ground. I held Botan tightly until we stopped skidding. When we stopped, I was panting heavily beneath Botan. Adrenaline and fear were racing through my veins.

Blinking, I rolled Botan carefully to the ground and stood up. We were in some sort of giant leaf that was enfolding around us. The front part, where we had entered, was still opened. I could still see the buildings and lights of the city above me. Sirens, screams, and explosions were still echoing outside and I bounded toward the opening.

Before I could step outside, a hand pushed me back into the plant with a hard shove. I went sliding back with a sharp cry.

"Karen," Kurama appeared at the opening and stared down at me with narrowed eyes. "Do not step out of this plant!" I bounded forward to tell him about Botan, because she was hurt – she needs help! "Stay in there," he demanded harshly and I shrank back at the tone. "Do you understand?"

Whether I understood or not, he was already turning away. Wielding a whip with sharp thorns, Kurama lashed out at a multitude of objects. I was reminded of that night long ago when he had killed the demon that had tried to end my life.

I was still able to see a majority of the fight, but I backed up whenever any objects approached too close for comfort. Needing to check up on Botan, I turned to head further inside the plant. From the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow.

It was that crazy woman again.

Why wouldn't she leave us alone?

She was smiling crazily and a strange light was dancing in her eyes. She raised a hand. A semi appeared behind her and its shadow engulfed my entire body. Flying toward the opening of the plant, she cackled sweetly – the laugh of a killer.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to curse. Instead, I was running back to Botan. Shoving my hands beneath her armpits, I begged my muscles to help me drag her to the back of the plant. Passed out, Botan was dead weight and I struggled to move her fast enough. We inched back slowly.

"Come on," I gritted my teeth and pulled back on Botan. "Arg-ggr-hhh – Come on, Karen," I was almost in tears at my lack of strength. _"Come on, Karen!"_

"_Stupid bitches!"_

The woman cried out her curse and sent the truck flying toward us. I fell to my knees in defeat and clung to Botan's limp body. "I'm so sorry, Botan…"

Heat enveloped me and I glanced up through watery eyes. A cry of relief left my lips at the sight of Hiei and I knew if he was here, we were safe.

He stood at the opening and stared up at the approaching truck. Fire enveloped his entire left arm and he threw his fist forward once the truck was in range. There was crash of metal, like several cars had collided, and then the truck was flying away in pieces. One punch was all it took from him to destroy the semi-truck.

The woman screamed in frustration and charged at Hiei, but a blue light glowed behind her in the distance. Shrieking, she twisted out of the way. The blue light shot past her with a loud whistle of energy.

"Hiei," I almost sobbed once he blurred over to me. Carefully, I cradled Botan's head and made sure to avoid the dagger in her shoulder. "Hiei, she's hurt. I-I don't know what to do."

Hiei's eyes flickered over Botan, quickly assessing the damage. He lifted her slightly to eye the dagger with a stony face. His fingers touched the blade, but made no move to take it out. Blood was dripping from the wound and pooling on the plant's floor.

Watching, I searched for any kind of emotion to flicker in his eyes – anything to signify that Botan would be okay. She had to be okay. It was just a dagger. People survived dagger wounds all the time.

"Stay in here."

"But Botan – is she okay?"

Our eyes met, and it was then, I noticed the intensity of his eyes.

Slowly, he cupped my cheek. His thumb brushed along my skin and I hissed in slight pain. He pulled his hand away and I stared at the red liquid on his thumb – my blood. Reaching up, I traced the outline of a small cut.

_That dagger must have cut me before hitting Botan, _I mused while thinking over the fight.

His hand brushed my bangs back, bringing me from my thoughts. The action may have seemed gentle but his eyes said otherwise, as they were hardened in fury.

"Do not step outside," he ordered in a low voice – a warning tone.

"Okay," I whispered.

Then he was gone, blurring away and leaving me shivering. He always did that – took away the warmth and replaced it with ice.

Trembling, I rolled Botan onto her stomach to lessen the pressure of the dagger. I was horribly limited in my first aid skills. I did not know if I should pull the knife out or leave it in, but I was not about to practice the idea on Botan.

There was a thud and I glanced up. It was Kurama. He kneeled down at the opening and placed a hand upon the ground.

"Kurama, Botan –"

I paused and stared in horror, as the plant seemed to groan beneath his hand, because it was feeding off his energy. Vines whipped out of the ground and began zipping up toward the opening.

"No!" I begged. I did not want to be left in here, not with Botan like this. She needed help and I couldn't help her! "Don't leave me in here! Botan –"

A thousand vines stretched across the opening of the plant. Like needlework, the vines crisscrossed over one another to close the opening. Kurama lifted his head and smiled – then the vines hid him from view. He was gone.

All the outside noise faded away, leaving my ragged breathing and beating heart. The light was gone now and darkness swam around me.

Sinking to the ground, I reached out blindly for Botan's hand. I held her lifeless hand tightly and huddled closed to her unconscious body. I began rocking back and forth – falling apart from all the chaos. I was chattering loudly, as if I had been thrown in the artic sea. My mind was spinning and there was no one here to help me off this insane merry-go-round.

"Is this… real?"


	19. Reality Breaks Into Pieces: Part Two

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here.

* * *

Chapter Nineteen- Reality Breaks Into Pieces: Part Two

* * *

Koenma walked with short brisk steps from his father's room. His lips were thinned into an irritated from, revealing the anger he was trying hard to conceal. His robes billowed around his legs and with each step, the fabric swished loudly in the hall. He clenched his hands tightly behind him at another attempt to rid away his aggravation.

But no matter how hard he tried, his emotions would peek out. He was supposed to be composed at all times. It was the trait of an effective leader. How many times had his father remarked on his aloof attitude with his employees? Yes, Koenma was too lenient and often times goofing around with those large ogres, especially Jorge. His father would probably pop a vein if he even knew of his relationship with a rather bubbly ferry girl. He was reprimanded many times to keep a strict business relationship within his building, but inside, he was just a man.

It took everything he had not to throw his desk out the window and hurl himself into the clouds below, as the multitude of ogres and ferry girls came bounding into his office. He almost staggered under the weight of the chaos erupting around him – it was a panic, he had never felt before. One he would like to never, know again.

A siren blared inside the building and wailed around him. Red lights began blinking on either side of the hallways and illuminated the hall with a fiery, red glow. He ignored the siren and kept walking, not even moving out of the way, as a wave of uniform people sprinted toward him. They were shouting loudly, but he ignored the voices.

In his head, his father's words echoed loudly. The siren's wail and shouts of the officers began fading away with every step he continued to press against the tiled floor.

- Flashback -

"It is your job to oversee the workings of all worlds, especially Human World. I constructed the barrier to keep demons from entering Human World, but then the Sensui case nearly disrupted that – We discussed that every issue from then on would be settled more effectively and this chaos, this madness has occurred under your very nose."

"I'm sorry, father."

"Demons in Human World… these monstrous temples… and missing women," ticked his father, "and now, humans are in danger of realizing the secrets we have strived, for centuries, to protect them from!" He glared down at Koenma. "You've initiated code ten, surely?"

"Yes, father." Koenma replied stiffly. "Complete mind sweep of the demons and temples, except for the earthquakes – we're working that in to cover the damage. Temples will be doused under protective shields to keep them hidden from humans."

"Which is why you requested the aid of SDF" It was not a question, but a mocking comment.

Koenma's jaw ticked, but he found himself replying softly, "yes, father."

"They will be taking the priestesses into custody –"

"Father, I already have teams sent out to bring in the priestesses. I gave SDF different orders. I simply need SDF to deal with the demons and help conceal the temples –"

"They will do that, but in addition to bringing in the priestesses. It is to my understanding that these priestesses are important and my men are more than capable of taking them into custody." He smoothed a hand over his beard. "I want to be briefed fully on this priestess business and once we are done, SDF will be involved –"

"I am still in charge of this issue and will have no further need for your men beyond what I request. As you know, SDF and I have a detrimental relationship, at best. I do not trust them and will not stand –"

"They will be involved and despite your leadership as my ruler of Spirit World, I am still King Enma, Lord of Spirit World, and have precedence over any issue concerning Human World."

"Yes… of course, father." Koenma bowed his head, "I apologize."

…

…

…

"Leave me."

- End of Flashback -

He lifted his head and met the eyes of the captain of SDF, Otake. They stared at one another for a long moment. Koenma wanted to say a handful of things to the captain and the most important of them being, 'don't be an ass to my people', but he restrained himself and jerked his head into a nod of dismissal. Otake seemed to understand, having dealt with Koenma before, and gave his own nod. Then, he was running past him with the other uniformed officers.

Koenma rubbed at his throbbing temple to disrupt the words of his father. Talking with his father to enlist the Spirit Defense Force's help took more patience and willpower than he would ever admit. He hated lowering himself by asking his father for help. He should've been more prepared. After the Sensui business, he should have learned to be a better leader.

How on earth would he ever handle mankind's darkest day when it came around?

Gritting his teeth in anger and shame, he marched off to his office. Entering the main room, he ignored the ogres running around and the papers flying in the air. Desktops were cluttered with piles of documents and the phones were ringing off the hooks to add to the panic of his workers.

Striding past his employees, Koenma hardened his gaze in determination. He had to be calm now if he was going to get through this madness.

A small ogre ran up to Koenma and waved his arms wildly to capture Koenma's attention. Pausing, Koenma lifted a brow and kept his hands behind his back to give the ogre his undivided attention.

"Sir," the ogre saluted. "The spirit whistle is ready to launch!"

"Good, this will make finding the priestesses much easier." Koenma took the papers from the ogre and leafed through them quickly. "Alert SDF what to search for, as the effects will be immediate."

"SDF, sir –"

"Yes," Koenma interrupted. "SDF is heading out now."

"I was informed they would only be involved in concealing the temples and dealing with the demons in Human World –"

"Ogre, do as I say," murmured Koenma. The ogre swallowed nervously at the soft order. Koenma's words had sounded icy. "Has Botan been contacted?"

The ogre shook his head. "She alerted us to the change of plans concerning the spirit detectives. They insisted on engaging the demons in Tokyo instead of heading to Spirit World. We lost contact with her once the earthquake occurred in Tokyo."

Koenma was not surprised that Yusuke and his team would dismiss his orders. They had done so many times. He had simply wanted them here to debrief them on the spirit whistle and help in rounding up the priestesses, because they did not know anything about these demons. He would rather have SDF deal with these demons than his spirit detectives, as he did not much care for the SDF officers. The tension between them was stifling.

However, the news of Botan's lost contact was starting to weigh heavily in his mind. He could feel the worry seeping into his bones. But he could not dwell on her safety yet. He could only trust that she was strong enough to handle herself out there.

"Genkai and Lena," Koenma suddenly ask, "what about them?"

"They arrived in Tokyo –"

"Never mind, I'll contact them myself," he hurriedly waved off the ogre.

He pushed past the ogres and headed into his office. Heading to his desk, he reached for the phone and pressed several buttons. Once he was done, he grabbed the remote and switched on his TV screen. A moment later and Genkai's weathered face appeared.

"Master Genkai," greeted Koenma.

"Prince Koenma, we reached Tokyo as Jorge instructed. He said the spirit whistle would be launched and we were to await further orders."

Koenma nodded. "Yes – But you will not be bringing in any priestesses you find – SDF is taking over that part – orders from my father."

Genkai's eyes widened and she turned away from the communicator, exchanging words with someone beside her. There was an immediate answer and Genkai's face was replaced with Lena's face.

"Can they be trusted?" asked Lena.

"Yes," answered Koenma, "they might be a little high strung, but they can be trusted to effectively deal with the priestesses. However, if you should find a priestess, simply alert SDF, and wait for them to collect her. Father wants to ensure they are immediately placed into protection, which is why he has changed my orders. He does not trust my teams." _Or me_, he silently added.

"Will do," said Lena, but with a little resentment in her tone.

"Remember the effects are immediate. I have no doubt that the symptoms will be painful given that Kurama provided a plant that is similar to a mandrake, without the added wailing – it sends out a pulsing wave." He eyed Lena. "This pulse drives on the bit of energy that the priestess in Tokyo donated, which will seek out other energies similar to her – any priestesses will be easily recognized by their glowing bodies."

Lena nodded and handed the communicator back to Genkai.

"Genkai, you might as well make your way to Yusuke – you know how he is with SDF."

With a nod, Genkai disappeared and the TV screen went blank.

* * *

Being trapped in the dark belly of a plant was starting to, not only affect my panicked mind, but my body, particularly my stomach.

It was a slow ache, similar to menstrual cramps, but to have the ache come out of nowhere was alarming. Not only that, but the ache seemed to be intensifying with each spasm.

Another cramp had me doubling over in pain and I sucked in air to control the cry that nearly ripped from my throat. Waiting for the pain to fade, I inhaled softly, counted to ten, and exhaled shakily. I repeated this method until the ache disappeared.

Botan's hand was cool against my heated fingertips, but not icy – a good sign. Cool meant she was still alive and icy would mean she was dead. But she was still here with me. Her presence made me feel less afraid of the dark. If she were not here with me, I would be screaming from these cramps and flat out crying from the utter loneliness of awaiting the outcome of the fight outside.

Surely, these cramps from the stress of the turmoil I had witnessed. Something must have snapped inside me and my body was taking the brunt of the stress. But these contractions were horrible and I was ready to claw at my stomach. Hurriedly, I released Botan's hand before I could crush the life out of it.

I doubled over as a spasm rippled through me in a tidal wave of pain. This one was brutal and with each spasm, I shivered until my teeth chattered. I fisted my hands against my shirt, nearly ready to bury my nails against the flesh of my stomach. I couldn't even sit up straight. The effort was too great and I slid sideways.

Hitting the ground, I was grateful for the cool floor against my heated cheek. I was burning up. It was too hot. Weakly, I brushed a wrist against my forehead to disrupt the cold beads of sweat. Where was this fever coming from? Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

When my lungs began constricting with pain, I patted my pockets for my inhaler. It was gone. I cursed silently at my carelessness. I had left the inhaler, phone too, back in my dresser. I only hoped I could get through this without suffering an attack.

_"Pathetic."_

The one word that I hate, his word, drifted inside my head, to mock my weak state. The word kept echoing in my head. I gritted my teeth in annoyance, wanting to swat at the air to disrupt the word. Surprisingly, his echoing voice seemed to make the pain bearable and I sagged weakly against the ground.

"_The journey will be difficult."_

I was hearing voices now. This fever and pain were making me delirious. I did not even know who the voice belonged to, but the words were familiar. I think I heard them in a dream once, long ago, when Hiei all but ripped the sheets away from my body one morning. Yes, I think it was a dream. I remembered the woman with unique eyes. I remembered the spinning room of gold. There were those piecing blue eyes from the other woman and she looked so damn familiar.

"_You know," Jesse began, "you shouldn't cry."_

"I'm not going to cry," I defended against the faded voice.

"_No one should be alone when they cry…"_

"Because tears were meant to be shared," I finished in a soft whisper.

I was not going to cry. I am not going to cry. I will not cry –

A scream surged up from my throat and a blinding light consumed the darkness of the plant.

* * *

Hiei was crouched on top of the plant with his head bent forward. His sword was pierced vertically into the plant's flesh in order to be held up firmly. He leaned forward slightly against the sword and stared down at the cloaked figure – the one who controlled the blades. Hiei didn't move for a long moment, but kept his face tilted down to the cloaked person. His bangs covered his eyes, but if the unknown person could see them, they would have recoiled at the murderous intent in his crimson eyes.

"I see," the cloaked person tilted his up to Hiei.

Kurama stepped away from his plant and watched Sakani up in the air. She was glaring at him and he could feel the hate of her eyes seeping into his skin. She was angry because he had sealed the plant opening before she could finish off Botan and Karen. He was surprised at how focused she appeared to be on killing the women. She seemed to have made it her personal vendetta to take them out. He suspected it had to do with the large bruise gracing her right cheek. It had marred her beauty.

Two blue lights flashed in the sky and Kurama watched them streak over the group like shooting stars. He clenched his hand around his whip and readied his muscles for battle.

"Yusuke, the SDF is here." Kurama glanced sideways at Yusuke. "It seems as if they are flying over to the temple."

Yusuke scowled at the blue lights and closed his eyes in annoyance. "Great. My favorite people – I thought they were supposed to be taking care of these bastards." He heard Sakani laughed at his statement, as if he were underestimating their abilities. Ignoring her, he lowered his voice, "you follow me?"

Meeting Yusuke's eye, Kurama read the glint in his eyes. They had fought together for years and reading each other was easy. Nodding to confirm Yusuke's plan, he purposefully stepped to the side. Sakani's eyes darted over to him in suspicion. She moved her hand over to him, but did not attack. She was waiting for them to attack her – for them to slip up.

"So, what do you see?" Yusuke asked the cloaked figure in nonchalant tone, "and who the hell are you, anyways? I hate nobodies."

The cloaked person laughed, but reached up to reveal himself. Sweeping his hood back, he faced them with a smirk. Spiky, brown hair fell down to his shoulders and swayed in the wind. His eyes were hidden behind a black cloth, as if he were a blind demon.

"You may call me," he bowed toward them, "Mamoru."

"Well, it doesn't look like you can see, Mamoru," stated Yusuke in reference to Mamoru's early statement.

"Oh, I can see." Turning his head in Hiei's direction, his smirk grew into a grin. "I see that I've hit a sore spot with your friend. You see… I think he's angry about the person I hit."

"Really," Yusuke glanced over at Hiei, "I wouldn't be happy about that."

"Well, to each their own happiness," replied Mamoru.

Hiei continued to sit calmly and Mamoru tilted his head slightly.

"Wait," Mamoru seemed to have realized something, "no, your friend is angry because of the person I _didn't_ hit – well, I did try, but I only managed to cut her cheek."

Hiei's hand twitched.

"Yes, that must be it." Mamoru rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. "The brown haired girl…"

Mamoru was thrumming his fingers against his chin now and his grin stretched across his face. The grin widened into a smirk, as Mamoru continued to watch Hiei from behind the blindfold. Sakani's eyes darted over to her partner in confusion. While Sakani was distracted, Kurama eased forward slightly, but froze when Sakani's eyes flitted back to him. He masked his face as her eyes narrowed at him in suspicion.

"Don't worry, I'll finish what I started," continued Mamoru. "Do you want to watch with me as I slice that pretty neck of hers?"

_"You think that just because you're a demon, you don't have to care."_

Hiei's eyes darkened as Karen's words echoed in his head.

"Well," Mamoru purred darkly, "we can cut her together."

Hiei stood slowly and lifted his head to glare fully down at Mamoru. The blindfolded demon's grin slid away. Sakani was trembling from the impending battle and kept clenching her hands in nervous excitement. A sudden silence fell over the fighters, but no one made an immediate move until –

"_Bastard,_" yelled Yusuke as he charged toward Mamoru.

Sakani reacted quickly and flicked a car toward Yusuke. Once Sakani move, Kurama leaped forward to slash his whip around her ankle. She was distracted by Yusuke that she did not have enough time to fly out of the way. Not wasting time for her to twist away, Kurama slammed her into the nearest building with a surge of energy. She hit the building hard enough to shoot through the wall and a loud explosion erupted from her impact.

The car Sakani sent toward Yusuke was still hurtling toward him. Instead of dodging out of the way, Yusuke jumped up and let out a hoarse cry. Mamoru almost laughed at Yusuke's idiotic tactic once he heard the car's windowpane shatter. It was as Yusuke erupted from the car's trunk that had the grin sliding off Mamoru's face for the second time that night.

Holding his finger out in his trademark gun, Yusuke aimed the glowing digit toward Mamoru. Sakani chose that exact moment to come flying out of the building and toward Kurama with a bloodlust glare. Kurama did not bother dodging, but simply stared up at her with a knowing look. He had predicted her reaction and so had, surprisingly, Yusuke, which had been the sole formation of their plan. Sakani was entirely focused on anyone marring her looks and Kurama had battered her body beyond recognition.

This was why she did not see the way Yusuke had flipped in midair and aimed his gun at her unguarded side.

"SPIRIT GUN!"

The blue light sprung from Yusuke's finger and sped toward Sakani in a whistling fury. Too focus on attacking Kurama, Sakani did not feel the approach of Yusuke's spirit gun. The blast caught her in the side and she went hurtling through several buildings.

Now, there was only Mamoru left – they would not have to waste their time dodging Sakani's cars.

Without Sakani, Mamoru was greatly outnumbered. Sakani and he had had the advantage of being able to attack with a barrage of weapons. It made up for their lack of numbers and gave them a slight edge. He would have to use a last attack and make a quick retreat –

He should have never taken his eyes off Hiei. It was a foolish mistake. He lifted a hand to his right shoulder and touched the gaping wound with morbid curiosity. Hand shaking, he rubbed his fingers together and felt a sticky substance – his blood. The sharp smell of copper drifted to Mamoru's nose and he paled.

Hiei landed quietly behind him with his back facing Mamoru. Moaning in pain, Mamoru fell heavily to his knees and pressed his hand tightly to his shoulder. Mamoru's cry caused Hiei to chuckle darkly.

"He didn't tell us… you were this good…" Mamoru gasped in pain. "He said you were all weak… I didn't know you, any of you..."

"What are you talking about, Mamoru?" Yusuke asked angrily. "You were all high and mighty, speaking about spilling that girl's blood." Yusuke cracked his knuckles, "by the way, I should rip out your tongue for speaking like that."

"Please," Mamoru begged. "I didn't mean it – I swear!"

Kurama's whip wrapped around Mamoru's hand and brought him to his knees. "Who were you referring to, Mamoru?"

Trembling, Mamoru bowed low to the ground. "Master… we only know him as Master. He sent us to several locations. He said the past repeats itself – that's what he said before sending us out to these previous earthquake sites…only the ones that he knew –"

"From the traitor," finished Yusuke gruffly. "Who is this traitor?"

Mamoru shook his head and the action caused Yusuke to growl in frustration. Hearing Yusuke's anger, Mamoru pulled back against Kurama's whip to scramble backwards.

"Answer him," demanded Kurama as he yanked Mamoru forward until the demon slid along the pavement.

"He didn't give us a name. I swear –"

Kurama narrowed his eyes, "you're lying!"

"Okay, okay," he gasped. He pushed up from the ground and bowed his head. "He said there was someone who worked in Spirit World – someone that no one would expect to be the traitor."

Kurama released his whip from around Mamoru's wrist and stepped back coolly. Turning to Yusuke, Kurama began discussing this newfound information in hushed whispers.

While Yusuke and Kurama were talking, Hiei turned around toward Mamoru's back. Blurring closer to Mamoru, he reached out and grabbed the demon's hair. Yanking Mamoru's head back, Hiei lifted his blade and placed it against Mamoru's cheek.

"_I think you're too scared to even try."_

Mamoru trembled from the feel of the cold steel. Hiei slowly traced the contour of Mamoru's cheek in a sadistic, teasing manner.

"… _or maybe even admit that yeah, sometimes you might just care a little."_

Without warning, Hiei began pressing the blade slowly into Mamoru's cheek. Mamoru's scream of pain had Yusuke and Kurama whipping around in alarm.

"Hiei, don't," commanded Kurama as he sprinted forward.

Ignoring Kurama, Hiei removed his blade and placed it on the side of Mamoru's neck. His eyes burned brightly and a cold smile plastered onto his face. Pushing his blade into Mamoru's neck, Hiei watched the blood start to spill.

"He could have more information." Kurama's eyes flickered from Mamoru's pained face to Hiei's cruel smile. "We still need him."

Hiei dug the blade in deeper, "he deserves this."

Eyeing his plant, Kurama's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He fixed Hiei with a steady gaze and whispered loud enough for only Hiei to hear, "when she's release from the plant, she'll see what you've done."

"_If I could ever hate you, it would be because you would chase me away with like this – by showing a side of you that you think I would not accept."_

At those echoing words, Hiei growled angrily and whipped his sword away. Placing his boot against Mamoru's back, he shoved the demon forcefully into the ground with enough power to send him sinking in an entire foot. Flinging his blade to rid Mamoru's blood, Hiei sheathed the blade and stepped over Mamoru's unmoving body. He stormed past Kurama without a word.

Yusuke placed his hands on his hips, "what the hell is going on?"

Mamoru began chuckling from his position on the ground and the muffled laughter made the men whirl around in surprise. Very casually, Mamoru flipped back and landed in a crouch.

"I'll kill… I'll kill you…" There was a wide, crazy grin on his face. "I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

Yanking his blindfold off, Mamoru's eyes glowed brightly. Yusuke stared in alarm at Mamoru's eyes, because the demon did not have eyes. He simply had two eyeholes filled with a bright, white light. Narrowing his eyes, Yusuke stepped forward to end the insane demon's laughter. It was getting on his nerves –

Yusuke couldn't move.

Yusuke's blood ran cold as he tried to move his legs. Using his peripheral vision, he saw Kurama and Hiei frozen beside him with the same curiosity in their eyes. Then, Yusuke's body began glowing. Holding his hands out toward them, Mamoru pulled them back slightly and the glow from Yusuke's body began trailing toward the demon. He was consuming their energy.

"You can't move now!" Mamoru laughed insanely. "You're trapped and I'm going to take all of your energy until you are dead – DEAD!"

_This is unfortunate. _Kurama could feel the warmth of his energy leaving him. His hand began shaking and a heavy fatigue settled into his bones. Unable to stand any longer, he crumpled to the ground. Two other thuds followed him to reveal the sounds of his fallen comrades. Kurama was barely able to draw in any air and his chest constricted painfully. Despite the pain, he glanced around to try and formulate a plan.

_Damn, energy zapper, _thought Yusuke. He was not able to see Kurama, but he hoped the fox was drafting up a plan. Yusuke had no idea what to do. Across from him was a sprawled out Hiei. If Yusuke could, he would have laughed at the scowl on Hiei's face, as Hiei had had the fortunate amount of time to form the glower before Mamoru's attack. Well, if he was going to go out, at least he would die seeing this look on Hiei's face.

_I should have killed him when I had the chance, _muttered Hiei darkly in his head. He did not particularly want to die with his eyes locked on Yusuke's face. This one last image before dying was not a good one. He would have rather died impaling himself on his own blade and seeing only his pool of blood than seeing the laughter in Yusuke's eyes. He cursed inside his head.

"NOW, DIE!" Mamoru yelled triumphantly.

"TASTE MY WICKED SWORD!"

There was a grunt of pain and Mamoru's hands fell down to his sides. His glowing eyes took in the orange blade emerging from his chest. With a last grin, the glow of his eyes faded and his head fell backward to face the sky.

Having run quite a distance once he saw his friends endangered, Kuwabara was panting heavily from the mile long run. He inhaled deeply to soothe his lungs before peering down at Mamoru. His eyeballs were white with no pupils and Kuwabara shivered in disgust. Mouthing out the word 'EW', Kuwabara dismissed his sword and stepped back.

Kurama ran to his closest teammate and kneeled down, "Kurama, you alright?"

"As fine as I'll ever be," Kurama lifted his head up and smiled weakly, "what with my energy nearly exhausted."

"Kuwabara," growled Yusuke. "I've never been happier to see your ugly face!"

"You should be kissing the ground I walk on!" huffed Kuwabara, but his scowl quickly formed into a cheesy grin.

Seeing Kuwabara's goofy grin and hearing his voice made Yusuke realize that Kuwabara was no longer moping. In fact, he seemed, in a weird way, to be glowing with happiness. Kuwabara's eyes were crinkled at the corners as he flashed a smile – a real smile. Yusuke grinned, thinking,_ it's good to have you back, you overgrown idiot_.

Hiei pushed against the ground and grunted in annoyance when his arms began shaking with the effort. Cool hands wrapped around his upper arm and he glanced over tiredly to meet identical crimson eyes. His sister was kneeling beside him with a smile on her face.

"Mr. Hiei, let me help you." Yukina insisted quietly.

Hiei looked away and fixed Kuwabara with tired glare. Seeing the glare, Kuwabara's smile fell from his face and he coughed quietly into his hand. Avoiding Hiei's eyes, Kuwabara lifted Kurama up and wrapped an arm around him to support the weak redhead.

"You brought Yukina," Kurama asked with a tired, husky voice, "even with this going on?"

Kuwabara frowned in exasperation. "It's not like it was my choice. She said she would follow me and if I tried to outrun her, she would continue wandering around after me – you don't know her as I do." He lowered his voice so only Kurama could hear him, "she's really stubborn."

Kurama shook his head and laughed weakly.

Yusuke grimaced as his weight made it difficult to stand. His legs shook and he tilted sideways but before he hit the cement, someone seized him around the middle. Yusuke was surprised to find Lena holding him up – and beside her was a familiar old woman.

"Hey, Lena," greeted Yusuke with a nod, "and Grandma."

"Dimwit, I see you've made a mess of Tokyo." Genkai lifted an eyebrow as she surveyed the city.

Yusuke smirked. "You know me. I like to play."

"We need to find a place for you to sit," suggested Lena.

Yusuke nodded tiredly and he allowed her to drag him over to a slab of debris. Yukina clutched Hiei's arm and led him over to a broken bench. Hiei could support his own weight but still allowed the stubborn, tiny woman to lead him anyways. Kuwabara practically carried Kurama over to their friends.

"Karen and Botan," Kurama mumbled once they passed his plant, "I have to release them."

"Uh, Kurama," Kuwabara frowned worriedly. "I don't think you'll have enough energy to do that."

"I have enough." To prove his point, he pushed against Kuwabara and walked over to plant, albeit a little slowly. "It won't take much to call off my plant."

* * *

"It's so hot," I murmured drowsily.

"The pain is passing," answered a soft, feminine voice.

I don't know whom the voice belonged too. I thought I was still hallucinating and hearing voices, but then someone brushed back my bangs. The hand was cool against my feverish forehead. It was like a drink of water in a scorching desert.

"But you're burning up more than you should be – compared to the others, your fever is more intense."

She was murmuring to herself and I did not feel the need to respond. I do not think I was supposed to hear her anyways.

"Light…?" I did not mean to ask her, because the light had been a part of my delirious mind – It had to been an illusion.

Surprisingly, she answered me. "It is fading.

I needed to see who this woman was – I forced my eyes open.

She was a woman, but I could barely make out her features, as my vision was blurry. I focused on one thing at a time. She had pink lips, which were lifted into a gentle smile. Her cheeks were smooth and porcelain-like without a wrinkle in sight. She had a straight nose – perfectly proportioned. Cinnamon, brown hair was tickling my face and I scrunched up my nose. Her smile broadened and I noticed her eyes – two unique colored eyes. One was blue and one was green.

"Karen?"

I smiled tiredly when Yusuke's face swam into view beside the woman, "Yusuke?"

"Why is she glowing?" asked Yusuke. The woman didn't answer and this seemed to aggravate Yusuke, because he hissed in annoyance. He kneeled beside me and rolled me onto my back, asking, "Karen, what's up?"

It felt like a sauna here, wherever here was, because I wasn't sure what was happening. Had the fight been a dream? I think something was wrong. Someone threw me in the fire and left me there to burn. No, that's silly – I was outside, wasn't I?

I glanced past him and noticed the night sky above him. I could see the stars. There were also buildings in the sky, but they were smoking. Several were on fire and there, right there, I could see a helicopter –

"You're burning up," he murmured when I did not answer. I was hardly aware of his hand on my forehead. "Can you hear me?"

I watched the helicopter dipping behind a building, "… I can hear you."

"Here, let me check under here." His hand went to the hem of my shirt, "I can hardly see it now, but where," my shirt was being lifted, "the hell is that light coming from?"

I reacted instinctively to his probing hand and made the effort to push my shirt down. I gave a worried protest, "no!" For some reason, I felt the need to protect my stomach.

"Okay, okay – I'm not doing anything." He assured me quickly. Suddenly, he flashed a quick grin – the kind that makes you want to smile back. "What did you do while I was gone?"

I tried to think of what I had done, but my mind was acting funny. I was watching soap operas with Keiko. Kenji said we needed to go to the arcade. Hiei told me to stay in the plant. Botan and I were flying high in the air. I was glowing so oddly. Yusuke and I ate chocolate by the pond.

"Keiko and I watched TV," I answered belatedly to his question.

"Really," he chuckled at my answer. As he was laughing, I could feel cool air against my stomach. I lifted my head to glance down, but Yusuke ducked his head to meet my eyes. There was that grin again and I frowned at it – what was he up to? "Come on, is that it? I've been gone a long time and that's all you have to say?"

The question distracted me from the odd grin on his face. I blurted out another answer, "I got into the school."

He smiled and I was surprised at the way his eyes lit up in happiness. "Now, you got to represent us. Let me guess," Yusuke grinned crookedly, "Keiko went crazy with the school supplies. I bet she wrote out that novel she calls a list, didn't she?"

I heard his question, but I was thinking about the orphanage. I kept blinking in confusion, because he was staring at me and waiting for an answer.

"I wanted to see that movie," I murmured drowsily, "can I?"

"… Karen, what are you talking about?"

"I like the green one," I said.

"What else?"

"You forgot to pay the electric bill."

"Really?" he asked. In a much quieter voice, I heard him speaking to someone, "you hear her? She's slurring her words."

"Confused, too, sounds like," answered a gruff voice. Was that Kuwabara? "That fever has to be pretty high if she's acting like this."

"It is not a normal fever," said that soft voice from earlier.

"Yeah, about that?" growled Yusuke. "You seem to know about this, so what is it? And the glow – what was that?"

"She is a –"

"What do _they_ want?"

My eyes flew open. I did not remember closing them. At Kuwabara's question, I glanced around. To the left, I saw a couple of men. They were dressed in uniforms and looked rather serious, like soldiers.

"Don't worry, you walking sticks, we already cleaned up the mess – no thanks to you guys," growled Yusuke when the strange men approached us.

"Well, since you guys were already engaged in battle, we didn't think it necessary to take over," answered one of the men. His accent was thick and heavy, almost like a Bronx accent. He was tall too, and had a scarred up face. "We're here under different orders – where is the priestess?"

Genkai walked into my eyesight and I stared up at her. It had been a long time since I last saw her and seeing her stern face was reassuring in a way. But there was a grim look dancing in her eyes.

"She's right there," she nodded over at me, "the glow has faded. She's ready to go – but, careful, she's getting delirious from the fever."

_No, I am not delirious, _I protested automatically. I shook my head harshly. The action seemed to clear my head. I was starting to remember the fight. I could hear that woman laughing. Yes, I'm remembering now, but the odd thoughts were still flickering. If I just keep shaking my head, I can get rid of them. Yes, it's working.

"You just stay right where you are." Yusuke ordered. He stood up and stared down the men before turning to Genkai. "What do you mean by this, Genkai?"

"Yusuke," Genkai replied, "she's a priestess."

Hearing the odd statement, I lifted an eyebrow. _What's a priestess?_

Yusuke seemed to think it was a joke because he started laughing loudly. "Quit joking around, Grandma! What's the real deal?"

Genkai closed her eyes once, as if to collect herself, and then opened them. She did not laugh or crack a smile. She was completely serious.

"No," his grin faded, "no, no, no," he looked from me to Genkai, "she can't be one of those – _Hey, look at me, dammit!"_

I flinched at his tone. I had never seen him this angry. The tension was escalating in the air between Genkai and Yusuke. Huffing, I willed myself to sit up. It did not take much effort and the air was much cooler now. The cramps were gone and I was feeling better. My head felt less fuzzy. However, the fever was still flaring up beneath my skin.

"It is the truth. She reacted to the pulse." Genkai turned away from Yusuke. "SDF is taking her and you are not to interfere. These are direct orders from King Enma. Koenma is facing heavy repercussions and it will not do well to go against this –"

"No one told us about this." Kuwabara was supporting a weakened Kurama. I frowned with worry, but Kurama seemed to be unwounded. "Shouldn't someone have told us – and what pulse?"

"The pulse from my plant," murmured Kurama.

Yusuke rounded on him with a look of disbelief. "You knew about this?"

"You misunderstand, Yusuke." Kurama leaned away from Kuwabara and face Yusuke. "I was asked to provide a plant that would help seek out other energies, only if there was energy donated to it. It's a tracker plant. I did this before we left for Demon World. It seems Spirit World has modified it greatly if it was able to spread out its pulse this far."

"And you couldn't have told me when we came back?"

"I would have, but do you recall our conversation then?" Kurama almost keeled over, but pushed away Kuwabara's hands. "Yomi confirmed your suspicions about me and you trusted me. However, I never had proof to determine your innocence. As you said, scent alone may not determine the rat. I simply left it at our stalemate and decided to test you later."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Kuwabara asked with exasperation. When Kuwabara moved, I saw Yukina. She must have followed Kuwabara here – but when had they arrived?

"There's a traitor in our group," announced Yusuke, "or there was, until that creepy guy said he was in Spirit World, which is why," he eyed Genkai and the SDF, "I'm beginning to distrust all of this. Hell, I never had much trust for Spirit World once they started hunting me down because of my heritage, and I especially," he glared at the uniformed men, "do not trust them."

"Yusuke, I assure you that these guards were only let in on this once the earthquakes began," insisted Genkai when Yusuke continued glaring at the guards. "Spirit Defense Force and King Enma were on a need-to-know basis –"

"So, who's to say that this isn't just a plot?" Yusuke swept a hand out, as if to indicate the plot. "Sure, set off the device and round up the priestesses, but don't tell those trying to save the world, just let them run around, thinking they're badasses, and oh, 'sorry Yusuke, but SDF is taking over now'."

"There was no time to alert you." This time it was the woman from earlier. I could see her more clearly now and she was very beautiful. "We were told Botan was to bring you in for this discussion, but her communicator went down."

_Oh, no, _I thought wildly.

I jerked at the sound of Botan's name. Twisting around, I hurriedly searched for her body. She was there, right next to me. The dagger was gone now and the blood was still pooled beneath her body. However, she did not seem to be bleeding anymore. In fact, her cheeks were getting some color. I sighed in relief – someone had healed her.

"SDF isn't taking her, so you can just go running back now –"

The woman narrowed her eyes at Yusuke. "And how do we know that you are not this traitor? You do not actually think we will allow you to take her – she's important now and –"

"Fine, Lena," growled Yusuke. He turned to Kurama, "give me that seed." Kurama weakly reached in his pocket and pulled out a small object. Seed in hand, Yusuke tossed into his mouth, chomped once, and then blanched. "Damn, that's nasty," he gave a quick swallow, "see, still me? Work, didn't it, Kurama?"

"Yes."

"Yusuke Urameshi, do not force us to do this the hard way, because you know we have no problem doing just that." It was the shorter guard that had spoken. His eyes glinted dangerously.

"She is coming with us. We've waited long enough. King Enma's orders will be followed and thoroughly. To act against them violates the laws and we will arrest anyone who does so."

The guards began walking toward me and I instinctively leaned back in fear. I was stopped by someone and I looked over my shoulder. It was Hiei. He was kneeling behind me and staring at the guards over my shoulder. He looked haggard. His eyes were slightly glazed over with what looked like fatigue.

"No one is taking, Karen." Yusuke turned toward me. "We're leaving and I'm done with this – all of it."

Yusuke took a step, just one, before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he crumpled onto the ground with a solid thud. There was a series of gasp. Yukina shouted 'how could you'. Hiei held me back as I moved to check on Yusuke. Kurama was staring at Genkai in confusion. Kuwabara stared at Yusuke with wide eyes. My eyes flew up to the culprit. It was Genkai.

"What the hell is this? This isn't right!" Kuwabara exclaimed while rushing to Yusuke's side. "Knocking out your own teammates – we're supposed to trust each other!"

"She did it to ensure SDF could not arrest him." Kurama said, almost in a resigned voice.

"She's yours," instructed Genkai to the guards.

I stared up at the guards and awaited them to take me. There was no need for anymore fighting. I could not take all this accusations among my friends. I glanced over at Yusuke and inhaled shakily. Pulling away from Hiei, which was rather easy, as he seemed caught off-guard by my sudden movement. I staggered onto to my feet and took a few shaky steps toward the guards.

"Okay," I swiped a hand across my burning forehead, "j-just no more fighting –"

"No, Karen," Kuwabara held out a large hand to push me back. "I trust Urameshi and if he says there is a traitor…" he struggled over his words, but seemed to reach a conclusion. There was a cackle of energy and an orange sword appeared in his hand. "I'm not sure what's going on," he told Genkai, "but I won't let you or SDF take Karen away until it is cleared up."

"As will I," stated Yukina coolly.

Everyone's eyes darted to the small woman with looks of surprise. Yukina remained dutifully at Kuwabara's side and held her chin up. Then, her eyes began glowing eerily. The ground turned to ice beneath her feet. The temperature dropped rapidly. She was freezing the atmosphere.

I stared at my friends with saddened eyes. Even though Genkai had knocked out Yusuke, I could not forget all the stories she used to tell me. I did not want them to fight against each other. There were friends, not enemies. I remembered back to the picture of them at the beach. They were all so happy at the time…

The guards' hands began glowing and they flanked Genkai and the woman, Lena's sides.

_This isn't right._

Kuwabara held his sword tightly and crouched down into a fighting stance. Yukina held her hands out and ice gathered in her hands.

_What's happening to everything?_

Genkai barked out an order for Kuwabara to back down. Lena swept her hand out and there was a flash of light. A staff appeared in her hand and she twirled it expertly before lowering into a stance of her own.

_Please don't fight…_

Kurama rushed forward and held his hands out. He was pleading for everyone to reconsider this –

_Don't fight for me._

Opening my mouth to surrender, I was jerked back roughly. The arm quickly wrapped around my waist and another under my legs. I was lifted abruptly. I stared up at Hiei with wide eyes.

"Hiei," warned Genkai, "stop!"

Kuwabara glanced over his shoulder and grinned at Hiei. He lifted a hand to form a peace sign before saying, "I'll hold them off, Shrimp."

Hiei nodded and tightened his arms around me in an iron-like grip. Knowing what was going to happen, I clenched my eyes shut and clung to his neck.

The fight blurred away.

* * *

"Takeo, gather our men and make sure they bring the girl. We're leaving."

"Yes, Master." Takeo answered softly and kept his eyes to the ground. "What of the rest of the women?"

Hidden in the shadows, Master drummed his fingers along the armrest of his chair. "Release them. We have no need for them now. I'm sure they can find their way back to their pathetic homes."

Takeo nodded. "Yes, Master."

"Sakani and Mamoru are most likely dead by now. They were weak and useless like pawns on a chessboard. Sending them out to fight those people was a good thing. I needed to get rid of them."

Takeo remained quiet to let his Master rant. He knew the consequences for disrupting any of Master's spoken thoughts.

"You may go now," instructed Master coldly with a flick of his hand.

"Yes, Master."

Once Master dismissed him, Takeo stood slowly and slipped his hood back on to hide his face. He waited until he was well out of the room before reaching up to press a button on the device by his ear.

"Release the women," he commanded into his headset.

"In a minute," rasped out a deep voice, "I'm busy."

Takeo was simply going to leave it at that and do the releasing himself when he heard the noise in the background. Frowning in disgust, he whipped down another hallway. He didn't even bother knocking as he approached a wooden door. With little effort, he kicked the door open and it went flying off the hinges.

"I told you that I was busy!"

The demon did not even bother to look up from his task and this annoyed Takeo greatly. Rolling his eyes, he walked over to the large bed and promptly pushed the large figure off with a flick of his hand. The naked demon hit the wall and fell to the floor with a pained growl. Whipping his head around, the demon scowled at Takeo behind blackened fangs.

"Takeo," the large man growled, "you'll pay for this!"

Takeo ignored him and instead turned to the other occupant in the bed. It was a young woman and at Takeo's gaze, she covered her bloody chest with the tattered bed sheet.

Takeo fixed his cold gaze on the woman. "Go."

She gave a grateful sob and tore out of the room, thinking Takeo would change his mind. He waited until she was out of the room before turning back to the demon that had been yelling at him the entire time.

"Takeo, do not ignore me!"

Takeo calmly dusted his pants and examined his gloved hands. "Do you think I need news gloves?"

With a loud growl, the demon shot up and charged toward Takeo. At the last minute, Takeo threw out his fist until it went through the demon's entire chest. Gasping loudly, the man fell to the ground and coughed up blood. Ripping his hand away the demon, Takeo examined his glove again.

"Yes," Takeo stated. "I definitely need new gloves."

With that, he strode out of the room and the demon fell to the floor in a puddle of blood.

* * *

I was in a daze, had been for the entire way to the house. I kept seeing the fight, Botan's bleeding shoulder, Yusuke's fallen form, and the standoff between my friends. I was lost in this sea of confusion and the waves were thrashing against my body with brutal force.

Appearing in the house, Hiei dumped me onto the couch. I hit the cushions roughly, almost sliding completely off and onto the floor.

"Pack," he snarled, already heading up the stairs, "now!"

Hearing Hiei's voice, I fell to the floor. I shook my head to wave off the images assaulting my mind. A rough hand hauled me up with bruising force and I stumbled to my feet.

"Karen," his eyes burned with fury, "do not make me repeat myself."

With that, he pushed me away and nodded his head over at the stairs. In a trance, I stumbled up the stairs and the steps creaked beneath my shoes. Laughter rang behind me, but it was just a memory of me having bounded off to my room a thousand times while laughing. Entering my room, I glanced around at the unfinished homework on my desk, the pile of clothes I needed to wash, the computer monitor glowing in the corner, my bed hastily made – this was my room, wasn't it?

The house seemed oddly quiet and empty, even when Hiei was next door slamming open drawers. I listened intently to the house. I could hear Keiko humming in the kitchen, cooking dinner with the skills of a five star chef. Yusuke was watching sumo wrestling on the TV and laughing loudly at the event. Kenji and I were talking on the phone and we were supposed to go to another movie…

_I don't want to leave_, I thought wildly.

I couldn't do this to Yusuke and Keiko – just leave without saying goodbye. I did this once already and I did not want to do this to them. I was not going to leave them in this mess.

I turned around, ready to bolt downstairs and to those soldiers that wanted me. I could still turn this around and save my friends from having to choose sides. But Hiei stood in the doorway.

"_Karen."_

He didn't even give me any warning. His hand just wrapped around my upper arm and he dragged me over to the closet. I tried twisting away, but those fingers were unrelenting in their hold. He whipped out my bag and tossed it onto the ground, where it splayed open. With his free hand, he ripped down several shirts and pants, and the hangers went pinging in every direction.

"No," I whimpered, "I don't want to leave."

In response, his hold tightened. I thought my arm was going to snap. The pain was intense enough that my legs began to give out. I gripped at his shirt with my other hand to hold myself up. It didn't work. I went sagging to the ground and his shirt stretched in my grip. He bent down, not to relieve me, but to stuff the shirts inside the bag.

"Please, don't make me leave," I begged.

"I told you to pack," he voiced harshly.

Done, he stood back up and kicked the bag over to my dresser. He did not bother to help me to my feet and his hand remained wrapped around my arm, like a steel manacle. I screamed in pain as he dragged me over to the dresser. My arm was burning and my bone was aching. I watched miserably while he dug out a handful of my underwear and threw it into the bag.

"Zip that up."

I reached up with my available hand and wiped at my forehead. I was still so hot and this was all bizarre, wasn't it? Why were we doing this again? "N-no," I shook my head to ward off the confusion. I had to stay in focus. "We're going back and I'm going with them. Just let me go –"

Strangely, he stopped glaring and released my arm. Reaching out, he touched my forehead. The sheer action almost toppled me over, as I was so focused on the fact that my arm was free. He cursed softly and whipped his hand away.

"No, my arm," I whimpered when he reached for my arm again.

His eyes flew to my right arm and for a moment, he seemed almost guilty. But the moment ended and his eyes hardened again. Hurriedly, he turned me around and wrapped an arm around my waist so that my back was to his chest. Lifting me slightly in order to walk faster, he strode out of the room. Before exiting completely, he paused to pick up another bag by the door.

Two bags in one hand and an arm around me did not deter Hiei from his hasty descent down the stairs. Our shoes were a jumble of noise upon the steps, sounding chaotic and loud. As we past the bookshelf, I felt like reaching out to the glittering pictures – Yusuke and Keiko's smiles flashed at me.

Without bothering to lock the door, Hiei marched over to his bike parked in the driveway. He let go of me to strap the bags down. Before I could move away, he was already turning to jam the helmet onto my head.

"No, no," I spat out angrily, batting at Hiei's hands with what strength I still had, "I'm not running away!"

_I don't want to leave knowing that I broke this family apart, that I tore up their lives, and ruined everything. _

I was some sort of plague. I was never meant for a family. They had all been friends for so long and to see them turning on each other was hurtful to watch. I was just a stranger – They should have given me up. I'm used to it. Why did they have to choose sides? But I can still fix this, if he would just turn me over. They can take whatever they want from me and everything will be fine again – it has to be fine again.

Finally, Hiei whirled around and grabbed the sides of my helmet to holding me in place. Locking eyes with mine, he uttered one, soft word, "stop."

Choking on a sob, I let him drag me to the bike. The motorcycle roared to life and he was speeding down the driveway. I willed myself not to turn around. If I did, the sight of the house would shatter my heart. I buried my face in Hiei's back and let the hot tears fall free from eyes.

_I'm so sorry._


	20. Now I Am Sober

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here.

* * *

Chapter Twenty- Now I Am Sober

* * *

"Koenma, sir," saluted an ogre before hurrying on, "they have arrived!"

Koenma finished his conversation with his SWAT team before turning to the ogre. "Yes, good – can you make sure our guests are comfortable?" He was referring to the priestesses. "If they ask questions, as I'm sure they will, tell them someone will be speaking to them shortly."

The ogre nodded and headed to the door. Before exiting the room, the ogre paused in a hesitant manner. Very slowly, the ogre turned and faced Koenma with a solemn expression.

"Sir," the ogre began softly, "w-we were all wondering if… if he was alright?"

Lifting his head up, Koenma fixed a stern gaze on the ogre. They stared at one another and the ogre that Prince Koenma was going to yell for him to leave, but then the Prince's eyes softened, "he is fine," in a more serious tone, he said, "but this will not happen again. Send out an employee notice and alert everyone that we will be undergoing immediate testing within the next hour."

The ogre nodded furiously and left the room quickly to heed the orders. Sighing wearily, Koenma slumped forward in his chair and rested his forearms on his desk.

He really did not want to think anymore and he most certainly did not want to think about the _he _that the ogre had mentioned. Koenma was still reeling from the news – although unknowingly, his most trusted advisor had been the traitor.

_Jorge_, thought Koenma sadly.

Jorge was Koenma's confidant. He heeded to Koenma's demands with ease and was the only ogre that Koenma cared enough to know by name. Jorge knew a great deal about Spirit World and was in the midst of every unique case. He was privileged with knowing certain aspects of cases that Koenma would often reveal to him, if only to keep his mind from overloading with all the stress. He never told Jorge, but Koenma had always considered Jorge to be his best friend.

If only he had noticed the changes sooner.

However, it was not Jorge's fault, as he had not willing relayed the information to the enemy. He did not even know that he had betrayed Spirit World. Once Koenma had received the message from Genkai about Yusuke's information of a traitor in Spirit World, he had all but halted every worker and had his medical team sweep through the office. The only reason they had found the traitor so quickly was because an ogre had run out of a nearby bathroom screaming about Jorge convulsing on the floor.

It was then they had found out that Jorge was reacting badly with a psyche worm. The traitor issue was immediately cleared up and Koenma instructed his medic team to set up a routine testing for all of his employees.

"Koenma, sir," Koenma looked up drowsily from his paperwork, "your team is here."

Koenma lazily sat up in his chair and smoothed out a handful of wrinkles from his robe. Blinking off his drowsiness, he faced the door, "yes, come in."

The door opened and Genkai walked forward, eyes staring straight ahead at him. Lena followed closely behind Genkai, nodding at Koenma before seating herself beside Genkai. Next, Kuwabara appeared, holding the door open for Yukina as she stepped into the office carefully. Koenma watched as Kuwabara nodded at someone over his shoulder and Yusuke walked in lazily with a scowl on his face. Kurama came in last, walking slowly into the room before easing into a chair beside Genkai. The rest quickly chose their seats.

In came his team, looking none too happy to be at the meeting. He knew how they felt, because he simply wanted to head to the infirmary to check on Botan. Of course, if he were to do that, he would have to come immediately back to his office to finish up the piles of paperwork concerning the night's drastic events.

Koenma tiredly studied the group in silence. He noticed Kurama and Yusuke were covered in a thick layer of dust from the debris of Tokyo. They appeared the most tired and given how they nearly had their energy stolen, Koenma suspected it would be entire week before they fully recovered the energy lost.

The rest of his team seemed in relatively good health, save for Yukina, as she was not a part of the team. However, she remained beside Kuwabara and calm rubbed at his back with a silent gaze. Kuwabara was staring at Yusuke with a worried frown. Genkai and Yusuke were not looking at each other, but at the wall in annoyance. Kurama and Lena were the only two watching him with thoughtful gazes.

"This is most unfortunate, Yusuke," addressed Koenma to his stubborn detective, "but SDF had orders to follow. If you had interfered, you would be facing charges – and I would not be able help you, not with the inquiry that I am facing from my father –"

"Save it," Yusuke interrupted with a harsh laugh. "Don't' think I came here willing for any apologies. They all but dragged me here. If _she_," Yusuke jerked his head over to Genkai, "hadn't knocked me out, I would've taken Karen away myself."

"Yusuke, SDF was bringing the priestesses here to be placed in protection. There was no need –"

"Well, excuse me, _Prince Koenma_," Yusuke spat out. "I'm sorry if I'm a little tense, but when I keep having demons telling me there is a traitor among us, I can't help but get a little piss, especially when the people I'm working for start keeping things from me, like," he threw his hands up, "I don't know, the spirit whistle for one – oh, and the change in orders concerning SDF! What else," he lifted a finger to his chin thoughtfully, "ah, and the fact that Genkai has known Lena for sixty-five years – yeah, I just found that out when one of those ogres went blabbing about how it had been a long time since he had seen the two of them – sixty-five years, in fact! Just how long have you known all this priestess business anyway?"

Koenma stared silently at Yusuke while the dark haired man continued to rant. Without his pacifier, Koenma looked eerily composed.

"I told you Koenma that I wanted to know everything. _Everything_," Yusuke stressed the last word in a hated growl. "I don't like going around kicking asses for people who do not let me in on –"Yusuke stopped in the middle of his tirade and faced the wall with a scowl. "You know what? Who cares?"

A heavy silence followed the angry words and Koenma finally lowered his eyes to his clasped hands. His temple was throbbing painfully. Taking a few deep breaths, he glanced back to face the room.

"Once the device we created was complete, I was going to hold a meeting," he explained in an even tone, "but I did not expect for all this chaos to occur. In fact, the device was finished only an hour before the attack – there was no time to waste. I had to launch it in order to round the priestesses. I felt it best to have them placed in custody. My father changed my orders concerning SDF's inclusion into the events. I had Botan specifically order you here to relay message personally, but given the circumstances…"

Koenma was about to mentioned Keiko's disappearance into Tokyo and the heavy attacks from the two demons, but relented from saying such things. Instead, he focused on Karen in the hopes that it would ease his spirit detective's attitude.

"I know how you feel about SDF, Yusuke," continued Koenma, "but Karen would have been completely safe in their care. She's very important now and they would not have harmed her, but seeing how Hiei has taken her away, we have no way of alerting them to just how important it is to keep her safe."

"Not necessarily," Kurama interjected tiredly, "up until tonight, Hiei knows everything concerning priestesses."

Koenma leaned back in his chair and thoughtfully eyed the tabletop, "yes, but no doubt SDF will be tracking them and Hiei will not react kindly, which worries me."

"We will see them again," Lena confidently addressed the room. "Remember, Karen is a priestess and now that the temples have emerged, she will be drawn to them – if she is anywhere near them. It is a natural power to detect them… not even Hiei can keep her from her true nature."

Yusuke thought over the past meetings. "You said they develop powers, like fighting abilities, didn't you," he did not wait for an answer, "is Karen going to have powers?"

"I do not believe so," answered Lena with a thoughtful gaze. "At least, I did not detect anything unusual from her – in fact, if it were not for the glow of her body, I would never have suspected her as a priestess. She hardly gives off the pure energy I felt from the two other priestesses Genkai and I found on the way to Tokyo." She lifted her head to regard Yusuke's serious gaze. "A majority of the priestesses found, save a few like Karen, had developed immediate powers once the spirit whistle went off. It seems it drew out their energy – several gave the SDF a rather hard time."

Yusuke almost smirked at the idea of the women who had given the SDF a hard time. However, he turned away to face the wall again.

"But this is why it was important to put her into custody," Lena continued softly. "She was to be placed in immediate training by us," she indicated to herself and Genkai. "I can provide the necessary training for helping these priestesses as I was at my sister's side constantly. They need to be guided until they can subconsciously tap into their true nature, which can be done, if the right training is provided."

"Except, Karen did not give off the necessary energy for any unusual power, so if that was what you were worried about, then there is no need." Genkai gave Yusuke a side-glare, which went unnoticed by the silent man. "Still, it would have been good to have found out. Otherwise, she might panic and hurt herself."

"For now," Koenma eyed Genkai and Yusuke warily, "we will just have to trust Hiei's capabilities in protecting Karen until SDF or my SWAT teams have found them, knowing Hiei, it will probably take a fair amount of time to find them. He knows how the system works and he's been in this world long enough to know how to fit in effectively. Plus, he has his jagan if he needs to erase his appearance from any curious minds. If anyone can disappear, it's Hiei."

"What if Hiei goes to Demon World?" asked Kuwabara suddenly.

This time, Yukina was the one to speak, "he won't." She said it with complete confidence.

"She's right," agreed Kurama. The perplexing looks swiveled from Yukina's face to his serious face. "Hiei isn't clueless. He is well aware of the demons that may search for Karen. Taking Karen to Demon World would be risky and dangerous. We must also consider the bond between Hiei and Karen. He won't allow any harm to come to her as long as the bond in still effective, which," he eyed Koenma, "will remain so until a solution for the bond has been found."

"Bond?" questioned Lena. "What bond?"

"An ancient bond, that has occurred between the two, which as it implies, has bonded them quite physically, and one, which I am still researching extensively." Koenma clasped his hands together. "It happened the moment they made eye contact after Hiei had slayed a demon. Both of their energies had been quite high – Hiei's from the brief adrenaline and Karen's from the fear." He nodded at Kurama. "He is right – as long as the bond is in place, we have no need to worry. I do know that they no longer feel each other's pain, something that Hiei made sure to inform me. He did explain that emotionally, they were still feeling a bit of disturbance, small pricks of pain, mostly – and the distance between them has stretched considerably. It's quite a remarkable case."

"I have never heard of such a thing," murmured Lena in slight awe.

"Yes, well, it is a good they have the bond between them, considering Karen's nature. It means he will be most careful in protecting her." Koenma decided to move on and cleared his throat. His mouth was getting dry. "Now, my teams have made quick work of the temples and they have all been concealed from the human eye – even your eyes. Unless, you are allowed with the barrier of them, you will only see whatever it is they have concealed it with, such as a park, church, anything really. They are also almost finished with the mind sweep. We only have a few continents left –"

Kuwabara lurched forward with a gasp, "but what about Hiei and Karen – won't they need to remember all of this?"

"Lucky for them, Tokyo's mind sweep was finished before they fled – and obviously, I had all of you guys excluded. Otherwise, you would not have remembered the demons or temples. It's not a complete mind sweep. We've simply erased just what I mentioned – demons, fights, and temples – the earthquakes we left to cover the damage. The humans will be wary of having experienced a wave of earthquakes around the world, but it is the best we can do. Anymore erasing and they would go into a stupor for days and I don't think I would need to mention how chaotic that would also be for us."

"And the women?" asked Genkai. "Shall we speak to them now before they go crazy and attack your guards?"

"Yes." Koenma glanced over at his stacks of paper. He still had a lot of work to do and it would be best to wrap up the meeting now. He eyed the tired group. He did not think they would want to sit anymore and they could finish tomorrow. "We'll end the meeting here and tomorrow we'll finish up, as I do need to see the priestesses. How does nine in the morning sound?"

"No good," announced Yusuke.

Standing to his feet, Yusuke dug out his cell phone. He calmly ripped off the communicator chip from the back cover and tossed it onto Koenma's desk.

"Yusuke," Koenma eyed the chip with a frown, "really –"

"Oh wait," Yusuke dug around his pocket and pulled out his older communicator device. He dusted it with a frown before dumping that on Koenma's desk too. "They're acting a little funny from the fight, but you can keep those." He turned on his heels and strolled casually out of the office. "Like I said earlier from the fight, I'm done."

"Yusuke," Genkai warned, "they need you."

With his back turned to the people in the room, Yusuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Find another hero."

The door shut quietly and the room was filled with a buzzing silence. Shaking his head, Kuwabara scrambled out of his chair and flew out the door.

"Urameshi, wait!" They could hear Kuwabara's voice echoing in the room outside as he chased after Yusuke.

Standing gracefully, Yukina bowed her head before hurrying after Kuwabara.

Koenma picked up Yusuke's communicator device and cursed under his breath, "damn."

Standing without a word, Genkai quietly left the room with her hands clasped behind her back. Like Yukina, Lena bowed her head at Koenma.

"We will be speaking with the women." She turned and followed Genkai.

Kurama was the only one left in the room. He was still seated in his chair and almost appeared to be dozing. Hearing Koenma fall heavily into his seat, Kurama opened his eyes and surveyed the Prince's haggard face. It seems they were both exhausted.

"May I ask who the traitor was?" asked Kurama, "I see you have a pamphlet there about psyche worms." Reaching forward, Kurama grabbed the leaflet. "They come in pairs. One worm is inserted into a host and relay's its host's thoughts to the other worm. It's a ruthless communication device. Still, the host does give some signs of being controlled – blackouts, forgetfulness, anxiety, and eventually, they resort to seizures, which is the body's way of naturally extracting the worm. Psyche worms don't normally last long."

"It was Jorge," answered Koenma tiredly. "We still do not know how he contracted it, but whoever implanted it, knew to pick an ogre that worked in this office. Sadly, they had to pick the right ogre for the job." Rolling his shoulders, Koenma reached into his desk and pulled out his pacifier. He needed to transfer a bit of energy to it. His new pacifiers were great deal easier to deal with, as they extracted the correct amount of energy without him having to suck on it constantly. However, he sometimes had to remind himself to remember to transfer his energy. "For now on, we will check all workers monthly. I, myself, will be undergoing the new policies as well."

"Why didn't you tell Yusuke that you caught the traitor?"

"Because it was his choice," he fiddled with a stack of papers, "I've perhaps placed too much on him – ah, never mind." He waved his hand to dismiss his musings. Changing the topic, he eyed Kurama with a raised eyebrow, "you seem a little tired, Kurama… but something is on your mind, yes?"

Kurama didn't answer right away. He was rubbing tiredly at his temple with an index finger and seemed to be in deep thought. Koenma waited patiently. It was a few minutes before Kurama lifted his eyes to Koenma's face. For some reason, Kurama seemed hesitant to reveal his musings.

"Hiei used to have a darker soul," Kurama stated, "and darkness is attracted to light…"

"I think I see where you are getting at," he answered. "You did not know that they were no longer able to feel each other's pain."

"No, I didn't. This bond has changed drastically and I," he lowered his eyes to the ground, "see a change between them…"

"A good change, I hope?" asked Koenma with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not sure. Hiei has softened over the years, but before Karen arrived, he was growing restless. Sometimes, I think I even saw his lust for power coming back… in fact, tonight, I was sure I saw it in his eyes when he went after Mamoru. He cares for Karen, but not in a good way. It's almost in a possessive way."

Koenma nodded his head after a moment. Kurama knew Hiei better than anyone did and if he was a bit wary of Hiei's intentions concerning the bond, then Koenma would store the information away in the necessary files. Sadly, there was nothing, they could do about it. Hiei may or may not care for Karen – but he hoped Hiei could grow to care for her, if only to ensure her safety.

This was all so complicated.

Giving a reluctant sigh, Kurama brushed off his musings. He forced himself out of his chair without groaning – a feat he barely pulled off. He was hardly able to move, as his muscles were already stiff with soreness. He had not fought as extensively as Yusuke, but running around Tokyo had done a number on him. He had not done this much movement since his human body was fifteen years old. The main reason he had stayed behind was because he had wanted to heave himself out of his chair without the prying eyes of his teammates. After all, he had pride too.

"I will not abandon Kuwabara," Kurama handed back the leaflet, "with Hiei and Yusuke gone, I will not allow Kuwabara to do this alone." He slowly made his way to the door, but paused with his hand on the doorknob. Lowering his voice, he said one last thing, "if you keep something from me, I will not appreciate it and like Yusuke, I will leave too. Heed that warning, Koenma."

The door closed and Koenma all but sagged onto his desktop with a resounding thump. He allowed himself two minutes of pure silence before hurrying out of the door and to the infirmary. He needed to check on Botan.

* * *

Yusuke walked down the sidewalk of Tokyo while fiddling with his phone and he was an odd sight compared to the pandemonium occurring around him. The air was wailing with the sirens of police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances. People were huddled in large groups and whispering in hush voice. A few shop owners were crying over the destruction of their stores. A fire hydrant was still spurting water into the air from across the street.

"Did you know?" asked a bewildered man to a woman. "There were over a dozen earthquakes across the world – isn't that creepy?"

"I heard differently – it was twice that amount!"

"You know what?" An elderly man scratched his head. "I don't even remember this earthquake very much… must be my old age."

Yusuke's footsteps crunched over broken glass and he hoped none of the glass would pierce through his shoes. He shook his phone and willed the device to work properly. His phone was a little banged up from the fight earlier. A little more shaking and a handful of curses was enough to bring the phone back to life. He hurriedly scanned through his contacts.

"Come on, Keiko," he waited for her pick up, but it kept ringing, "where are you?"

_Ring… Ring… Ring…_

"_Hello! Sorry I can't make it to the phone, but go ahead and leave a message." Keiko's voice suddenly darkened, "if you get a message saying the phone is out of service," she snorted, "blame Yusuke, because he forgot to pay the bill… again." On a happier note, she said, "bye!"_

Click.

Snapping his phone shut, Yusuke cursed loudly. His enraged tone caused a few pedestrians to ease away from him. He stomped past them without looking up. Mindlessly, he was already dialing another number and holding the phone up to his ear.

_Ring… Ring… Ring…_

"_This is Karen!"_

"_And Kenji –"_

"_Kenji, I was trying to sound important –"_

_The Kenji person cursed and stammered nervously, "it's Mr. Kado! Quick, hide the phone!"_

"_Oh gosh, it keeps beeping!" Sure enough, there was a series of beeps, "w-why is it beeping!"_

"_I don't know! Here, just jam the buttons like this!" There was a series of more buttons, which was followed by a warning message. "Oops, I think I broke it. Yeah, look it's –"_

_Click._

Well, he wasn't expecting that unusual voicemail. He didn't know who Kenji was, but he seemed to be good friends with Karen. For some reason, the voicemail made his mood worse – sadder.

Shaking off his jumble of thoughts, he continued trying Keiko's number. He was betting that Hiei had made Karen leave her phone at home. It was what he would have done.

Brushing a hand through his hair, Yusuke gritted his teeth and stomped down the sidewalk. Turning down a street, he began heading for the nearest hospital. Karen had mentioned that Keiko's friend had gone into labor. Hopefully, Keiko was still there and no harm had come to her.

"_Urameshi, think about this… are you really leaving?"_

"_Leave me alone, Kuwabara."_

"_But… wait… Are you really going to leave us –"_

He shook his head again to clear the last words he shared with Kuwabara before he left the office. He did not want to remember the fight. He was dirty, tired, and worried as hell. He wanted to find Keiko and then collapse into the nearest chair. He didn't even want to think about what he was going to have to tell Keiko about Karen. She was not going to take the news too well. They were too close to one another.

"_I got into the school."_

Remembering the small statement from Karen had him grinning. Bizarrely, he had felt pride at hearing her say she got into that prestigious school. He was even a little relieved (yeah, so he had doubts that she would get in, because, damn, five days?), because the school he picked out had a high dropout rate, not that he would have ever admit that to Keiko. He was surprised at how happy it made him to hear her say she had gotten into some rich kid school, as if it wasn't the number one school in several districts, and that she had, somehow, beat the odds. Beating the odds sounded kind of familiar…

Yusuke thought back to the way Karen had been glowing and the odd sentences she was slurring up at him. She really had been bad off with that fever. She didn't even notice him checking her stomach, which had been fine. She was hardly aware of talking to him and kept blurting out odd answers, but he went with the conversation anyway.

But she was gone now.

He hoped Hiei had the heart (and he probably didn't have one) to get that fever down. He had to trust that the stubborn demon would take care of her, because, well, he had grown too attached to that damn kid.

She was such an awkward kid and clumsy as hell, too (he never knew someone could poke their eye out by simply tapping the pencil against the table. Of course, she said the lead had broken). She always seemed to find something funny, too. Like the time they all went to Mt. Fuji, and he _accidently_ locked the keys in the car. Really, it would have been easy to just tap the window and knock it out, but Keiko had to disagree. They argued in the rain for hours. Then, Karen was laughing loudly. And before they all knew it, they were all laughing in the rain, except that bastard, Hiei. He was actually cursing at them.

It was strange. Physically, he wasn't much older than she was, and mentally, well, he was even worse off, but wisdom wise, he was old. He did feel paternal around her and it wasn't something he could not really explain to anyone. He supposed it was because he knew she, unknowingly, wanted him to be a father-like figure. Sometimes, he thought he saw it flash in her eyes whenever they were watching sumo wrestling together, but that could have been because he flicked his hand and chip crumbs got in her eyes – Damn, now who was going to eat chips with him and watch two fat guys smash each other? Keiko wasn't a fan of any kind of wrestling. Hiei said it was a waste of time. But Karen said she thought it was funny.

His phone began shrilling and his eyes lit up in recognition at the ringtone. Keiko's ring tone sounded like a doom song and rang loudly into the night. A group of people gazed at him with wary expressions, but he ignored all the looks. He liked this ringtone.

"Keiko," he bit off rudely.

"Mr. Urameshi?"

Yusuke frowned at the unfamiliar feminine voice. "…yeah, who is this?"

"Mr. Urameshi, I'm calling in regards to your wife."

He briefly remembered Koenma having fixed the documents concerning Keiko and his relationship for Karen's paperwork. He pressed the phone to his ear more firmly. "Where's Keiko?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Urameshi, but your wife was admitted to the hospital –"

Yusuke's blood turned to ice as he interrupted, "which hospital?"

He didn't even bother saying goodbye to the lady once she rattled off the hospital name. He simply slammed his phone shut and sprinted through the ground, uncaring if he was ready to pass out from the sheer exertion of moving his legs. No matter how tired he was, he would always have the energy to chase after her.

* * *

A deep growl roused me from my weary mind. My eyelids fluttered open and I realized that I was leaning heavily against Hiei. I had almost fallen asleep for the sixth time in the last several hours. Hiei had awakened me constantly to reprimand me for doing such a thing, not to be cruel (maybe), but because falling asleep had me loosening my hold around him. But it could also be because every time I slumped forward, the helmet would dig into his back. Both choices were strong possibilities.

My eyelashes were stiff from dried tears. For a majority of the ride, I had cried under the roar of the engine. It had been a long time since I last cried and the sobs had brutally torn from my throat with each tear. Now, my face felt gritty from the dried wetness. My eyes were so puffy, it hurt to keep them open for longer than a minute.

Hiei moved back and I moved with him tiredly. Sniffing, I leaned far enough away to see what he was doing. He was nearing a hotel. I sighed with relief.

We had driven for hours, so long, in fact, that the sky was beginning to lighten with the approaching sunrise. I dazedly remembered we had stopped twice.

The first time, I thought it was to get gas for the bike. I remembered waiting there in confusion until Hiei came back and yanked the helmet off my head. He had bought the biggest water bottle I had ever seen and proceeded to dump most of it down my throat. I thought it was the greatest thing I had ever tasted and even protested when he took away the bottle. With the last of the water, he dumped it onto my head. I didn't understand his actions. He was so mean. I was so confused, tired, and hot that nothing made sense anymore. Why would he pour water on my head?

I was out of my mind when he stopped the second time. I could swear he had been talking – asking me questions, really. No, I was sure I was babbling, but he went along with whatever I was saying. I took something, too – pills. Yes, he gave me pills. He said I had to take them. I told him I didn't do drugs. He said I was stupid so I needed them. I told him that I broke seven pencils during the test. He told me that tests were stupid and to take the damn pills. I took the pills.

Once Hiei parked, I unfolded myself from him and clambered off the bike. Feeling drained, I almost fell back onto the cold pavement. Hurriedly, I reached out and steadied myself against the bike. I was exhausted. I could barely stand. I yanked the helmet off and swept a hand across my forehead.

Hiei was already gathering the bags and striding off to the main office. I clutched at the helmet and staggered after him. My legs felt shaky, weak, and the ground felt lopsided. He must have known I was going to fall because his free arm wrapped around my waist. It was only as he was leading me toward the office that I noticed how heavily he was leaning against me as well. We were practically supporting each other – me more than he was.

I clutched at his waist too, in an effort to hold up some of my weight. The heat from him clashed horribly with my fever, but I was too tired and too weak to care. I could barely think. I could barely walk. Doing both at the same time would have me hitting the pavement in a cold stupor.

"Early tenants," shouted a nasally voice.

I nodded awake. I had already dozed off during the short walk to the office. I glanced up and eyed the stranger. For such an early hour, as it wasn't even light out yet, he was wide-awake. He had slicked back hair and a bushy mustache. He regarded us with narrowed eyes and I flinched inwardly.

Hiei and I were not exactly dressed to impress. My clothes were fine, but I was nearly drunk from my fever. I probably looked the part too, as I clutched desperately to Hiei's waist. I knew my hair was a mess from the helmet. And Hiei – he looked even worse than I did. His black shirt was faded with dirt and there were dark circles beneath his eyes. Still, he clutched at my waist, using me as a crutch. Well, at least I was useful for something.

"Have a night on the town," asked the hotel clerk in a nosy sounding tone. His eyes flickered onto my face and he grinned impishly. "Seems like it."

Any other time, I would have blushed from the implied statement. However, I ignored him and rested my cheek back against Hiei's tired body.

"A room," demanded Hiei in a gruff voice. He wasn't even going to acknowledge the clerk. He wasn't even going to elaborate more than that short sentence.

"We only take –"

Before he could finish, Hiei had already threw a handful of bills onto the counter. "That's fine."

The clerk, obviously wanting a bit of gossip with us, appeared slightly bristled at Hiei's rude manner. Giving a sniff, he picked up the bills and thumbed through them. "Anything else?" he asked snidely.

"No."

"Room sixty-seven," the clerk replied stiffly. "It's at the end of the walk way."

Without another word, Hiei picked up the bags. Feeling the need to help, I grabbed the keycard from the nosy looking man. I did not bother to say a thank you to the man. He was creepy and rude.

When we reached the room, I was surprised to have opened the door on the first try. It opened with a resounding click and Hiei nudged the door open with his knee. As soon as we entered the room, he pried himself away from me.

"Take a shower," he instructed. He threw my bag onto the bed. "No hot water – make it cool."

I was staring at the bed with longing. I wanted to climb under the sheets and sleep for several days. A shower sounded nice, but I wanted a hot shower. Why couldn't I take a hot shower? My face was gritty and the dirt from Hiei's shirt had ruined my t-shirt. A hot shower would be much more relaxing –

"_Did you hear me?"_

I eased away from his warning tone and shuffled over to my bag. Digging out a clean set of clothes, I headed to the bathroom.

I looked horrible. I frowned at my face in the mirror. I had a small cut on my cheek, but that wasn't the horrible part. My eyes were red and puffy. I had dirt streaks on my face. My cheeks were a rosy pink as if they had been attacked with an application of blush. Stands of my brown hair were sticking to my forehead, cheeks, and neck. What was wrong with me?

Following Hiei's orders, I set the shower's temperature as cool as I could stand it. Amazingly, the cool water felt good against my heated skin. It was an immediate relief. My skin seemed to be drinking up the water.

I scrubbed at the dirt on my legs. The dirt pooled near the drain and swirled in a muddy color. I tried not to think of why I had a dozen scratches on legs. I didn't even stare at the large, hand-shaped bruise on my arm, but I washed it tenderly. It was knotting up and burning. I washed everything away.

I was trying desperately not to realize why exactly we were checking into a hotel in the early hours of the morning. I pushed away all the memories and shoved them away until I could deal with them properly. When I was rested, everything would be much easier to handle.

I did not stay in the shower long. Although I was dead tired, I was still courteous. I knew Hiei would want the shower as soon as possible. But since I had taken such a short shower, I did take the time to blow-dry my hair. If I went to bed with wet hair, I might just worsen this fever.

Heading back out to the room, I avoided Hiei's eyes. I dumped my clothes next to my bag and headed toward the bed. I was so tired, I did not even stammer at the thought of sharing a bed with Hiei. If he had a problem with it, well, he was going to have to boot me off the bed. He would probably have no problem doing just that, but I guess, if he handed me a pillow, I would surrender to a cold corner.

Without another thought, I hit the mattress.

…

…

…

A hand smoothed back my bangs and I peered up through the darkness. The curtains were drawn tightly until the sun's rays were invisible. Hiei was checking my temperature and I watched his face silently for confirmation. But he didn't say anything about the temperature.

Turning away, he reached over to the bedside table. I thought I heard him mutter 'damn thing is finally leaving', but the words sounded far away. I tried to remember if he had done this before, because I felt like he had already checked my temperature.

There was the sound of water trickling into something and I blinked curiously at the sound. Lifting a hand, I pushed back my bangs. My forehead felt oddly warm and it had been hotter before, right?

A hand pushed away my hand gently and stared up at Hiei tiredly. His large hand brushed back my bangs again and I thought that this was a nice dream. I liked this dream.

His eyes flickered down to me, "go to sleep."

"Okay."

Before I fell asleep, I remembered the cool feeling of a wet rag on my forehead… on my right arm.

* * *

Shizuru's throat itched, which was a sure sign that she had gone on too long without a cigarette. She could not remember how long it had been since she last had one, but she craved the cancer stick with a fury. She did not even know how long she had been here, wherever here was – all she knew was that she was dirty and starving.

She knew it had been weeks, maybe even a month or two, since she had been kidnapped. Despite having to clean up after these nasty demons, she was handling it as well as any woman. So far, she had been rather lucky compared to a few unfortunate women.

She had not been forced to do anything too strenuous, aside from washing a shitload of dishes and mopping up several corridors. She had not been raped, _yet_. But some of the women, mostly the young ones, teenagers really, had been, and it hurt her to see the hollow look of their eyes. Vaguely, she wished she could switch places with them and perhaps, chase those deadened looks away, but she had a promise to keep. She promised Naomi's mother, Yumi, that she would take care of Naomi.

The only time Naomi and her mother saw each other was when they were allowed the weekly bath together. The women usually bathed together and often times, the guards would stare and watch them with dark gazes. There were plenty of times, that Shizuru was tempted to hurl a bar of soap at them, but she forced herself not to give into the temptation. It would not do well to disrupt the one time Naomi and Yumi had to spend together.

But slowly, the women were all growing insane – settling into a stupor. She even felt herself dulling at times, but one look at Naomi, and she would snap out of it. Perhaps, it was because of Naomi always found the will to smile. No matter how bleak the situation was growing, the innocent light in Naomi's eyes never dwindled.

It was hopeful.

But hopeful would not be enough to stave off the hunger.

Twice a day, they were given old bread and dirt water. The guards always brought the food in large metal tins and would bang on the bars of the cell to announce dinner. The women would scamper up to the cell and moan at the sight of the food bins. Shizuru always forced herself to stay back, because she was a Kuwabara. She did not lower herself to eating like some animal – a pig! She did have some dignity left in her yet.

Of course, she did starve out right. For a little girl, Naomi was very fast and light on her feet. Once the bucket was thrown into the cell, Naomi would go sprinting into the group of starving women. It was pure madness to see the women attacking the food with such greed. Many times, Shizuru would always try to hold Naomi back from the horde. She was afraid the little girl would get trampled. But Naomi never failed in obtaining their food. Naomi would always return with a beaming smile.

When they settled down to sleep, Shizuru would tuck Naomi against the wall and shield her from view. Naomi always fell asleep so quickly. Shizuru, on the other hand, never slept long. By now, she had learned to sleep light – always making sure to listen to her surroundings. The main reason was because of the demons that prowled outside the cells. If you slept too deep, you were bound to be whisked away. But you came back… just not as innocent anymore.

It was disgusting.

At night, if it was even night, she would think of her family. She would lay and stare at the ceiling, wondering about her brother and Yukina – mainly, her brother. She had plenty of time now to muse about her life and she realized how pathetically she had been living.

For many years now, she had wasted her life in the dim lighting of smoke filled bars. Sometimes, she would drink until she could not remember her own name. She smoked cigarette after cigarette, because she simply had nothing else to do. And on a daily basis, she would point out her brother's flaws, which was funny. She was more worthless to him.

At least he was doing something with his life. She remembered the day she had cleaned his room and found the letter concerning his admittance into law school. She read the letter repeatedly until the words were imprinted into her mind. She then cleaned his room while humming a bar tune. She had been so proud that day. She was still so damn proud.

So, while everyone was sleeping, Shizuru began making silent promises. She promised she would do something meaningful with her life like her brother. She promised she would not spend so much time at the bars. She promised that she would make her brother propose to Yukina, because goddamn it, it was time he got on the ball. She was ready to find something to look forward to – do something for someone else, other than herself. It was time to find her purpose.

Too bad, it took kidnapping to make her realize all of this.

Scooting away from Naomi, Shizuru rolled her shoulders in an effort to ward off the stiffness. She lifted a hand up and brushed back her hair. The abrupt contact with the greasy strands had her grimacing in disgust. She rubbed at her throat to clear the annoying itch. The craving was getting stronger. To distract the thought of cigarettes, she glanced down at Naomi.

A few hours ago, when everyone had been sleeping, a strange thing had occurred to Naomi. The little girl had been writhing on the floor with a pained expression. The behavior had worried Shizuru. She desperately hoped it had not been an appendix. She was almost ready to alert Naomi's mother when Naomi had gave one last shiver. Then, to Shizuru's amazement, she began glowing softly. The light had not been bright and hardly lasted a second. But distraught, Shizuru had covered the little girl's body before any patrolling guards could see.

Once the light was gone, Naomi had peered up at her with an odd expression. When Shizuru asked the girl what that had all been about, Naomi simply shrugged. Tiredly, Shizuru had told the girl to go back to sleep. She smoothed the girl's bang and realized she was hot. She was going to have to tell Naomi's mother that something was happening, that she was seeing odd lights, and that her daughter might be getting sick.

Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Shizuru leaned back against wall. She held a rock tightly in her hand, ready to attack any guards that approached. It was becoming a nightly habit. She thought of her brother's face one more time before closing her eyes –

BANG!

The door outside the cell slammed open and the noise had the women jerking away in alarm. Shizuru bolted upright with wide eyes and instinctively moved to block Naomi from view. Clutching her rock tightly, she waited for the guard to pass by them. Only, he did not pass them. Instead, he unlocked their door.

He was a guard she had never seen before and she had made it a point to remember every hooded guard. This was one tall with broad shoulders and a muscular, but lean frame. She could his slightly tanned chin and noticed the strong definition of it. He was probably a handsome fellow, but handsome or not, she could still sense his demon aura. He was a strong one and the other women seemed to think so too, because they shrank back.

"You are free."

At his casual statement, no one moved. In fact, Shizuru did not even think anyone was breathing. They were all staring up at him with wide eyes. Surely, this was a trick. He was a demon, or half of one, as far as she could pick up (how odd), and they were the prisoners.

"First, I have to travel around all day," he was muttering under his breath and rubbing a gloved hand against his hidden temple, "report to Master, get ruined gloves, and now, I have to deal with women! I should not have killed him…"

At the word 'killed', there was a round of gasps. The half-breed seemed to realize his mistake and waved his hands in an offhand manner. The keys in his glove hand jangled loudly and the sound made the women shuffled back even further into the cell.

Halting his movements, the half-breed bowed his head. He was silent and Shizuru could only guess that he was thinking. A minute later, he lifted his head and cleared his throat. "You are free!" he exclaimed in as nonthreatening of a tone as he could muster.

The women gasped.

He crossed his arms.

Someone coughed.

He checked his nonexistent watch.

They eased away –

"I SAID YOU ARE FREE!"

Once the he yelled the words, the cloaked man barely had time to move out of the way from the herd of women. He gave a little yell and hid behind the cell door while hurtling past him. Shizuru snatched Naomi up into her arms and shouldered her way out of the cell, for once, grateful for her height. However, the women were so frantic to escape that she went staggering backwards –

A strong hand gripped her below the elbow and steadied her onto her feet. Whirling her head around, she was surprised to be looking up into the guard's shadowed face. At close range, Shizuru still couldn't see all of his face, but she could make out the amused grin on his face. They stared at one another for a long moment before he released her arm carefully.

"Careful," he warned, "don't want to fall now."

He patted Naomi's head and Shizuru swore she heard him say something like 'how cute'.

He was an odd guard.

Tearing her eyes away from him, she began sprinting away. The women were following another cloaked person and Shizuru trailed after them with a narrowed gaze. This could very well be a trap.

"Shizuru!"

Yumi was up ahead and waving at them. Ducking her head down, Shizuru bolted over to the woman as quickly as she could manage. She felt she were the quarterback of some professional team. She was dodging and twirling to avoid being run over and Naomi was clutching at her with tight arms.

"This may be a trap," Shizuru muttered while handing Naomi over to Yumi.

"Yeah, but we can't go anywhere else," Yumi shouldered Naomi's face into the crook of her neck. Frowning, she checked Naomi's temperature, but did not remark on it. Instead, she jerked her head over her other shoulder. "The man who let us out is behind us – he's making sure we keep going."

Shizuru spared a quick glance over her shoulder to eye the guard Yumi was mentioning. At the end of the hall, the man, who had warned Shizuru, was leaning against the dungeon door and swinging the keys around a finger. Although she could not see his face, Shizuru knew he was watching them. She could feel his eyes pinned on them. And to prove her point, he lifted his other hand and gave them a casual wave. She scowled at him.

But there was no time to stand here and gawk at this strange half-breed. She spun on her heels and ran after her fellow captives.

They ran and ran for what seemed like an eternity. Shizuru was beginning to tire. Each step forward had the stitch in her side howling with pain. She looked over at Yumi and was amazed that the woman, as tall as she, was still able to run this long while carrying the little girl. She was hardly breaking a sweat, which was a sure sign that she was in very good shape – that and she had told the truth about her occupation. Shizuru had told the truth about her occupation, too. She just never had to exert much effort other than wield a pair of scissors or set of makeup tools – but it had been a long time since she had done those things.

There was a door thrown wide open at the end of the corridor. Shizuru could feel the cool air from the outside and she almost laughed out loud at the feeling. Closer now, she could even make out buildings in the distance. She could see the stars in the sky.

There was no way she could return to the cell now after having seen the outside. She would die if this turned out to be a trap and the guards slammed the door with howls of laughter. She was so close to freedom.

She bowed her head and ran even faster than she had ever run before. She was prepared to fight for her freedom if these demons so much as inched that door shut. She would go into a Kuwabara rage and the rage was one that had won her brother a handful of fights against large gangs during his youth. She was not to be a prisoner anymore!

And then she was flying out the door. She was outside. She almost staggered at the realization that she was outside and this was not some cruel dream. This time, a bubble of laughter did escape her lips.

It was some time before she stopped running. In fact, she almost thought she was alone, because the women were all dwindling away and the sound of a hundred footsteps was fading into the distance. But no – Yumi and Naomi were still with her.

"I can't," panted Shizuru as she began slowing down, "run anymore."

Yumi stopped and leaned against the wall of an abandoned warehouse. Yumi was breathing hard now and Naomi was still clutching tightly at her neck. Shizuru staggered over to them and sank down against the wall until she was half crouched.

"I'm sorry," breathed Yumi. "I should have stopped, but I-I just wanted to get as far away as I could. I didn't want to take any chances of them changing their minds and coming after us."

Shizuru shook her head. "No, I was doing the same thing. I'm just not as," she waved her hand over Yumi's form, "good in shape as you."

"I need to report this." Yumi said after a few minutes. "You see how far outside of town we are?"

Shizuru looked up and noticed the buildings of the main city still a ways off. They were somewhere outside of the city. "Yes, we were underground, weren't we? All the corridors we running in – they kept climbing up and up."

Yumi nodded her head for Shizuru to follow her and they set of at a much calmer pace. "And the fact that they did not blindfold us tells me that they will be long gone before anyone cares to investigate. But I remember the location of the building – it was a warehouse, like this one," she jerked her head over to the building next to them, "except, it had an underground facility – a pretty big one."

"How far do you think it'll be before we get to the nearest payphone?"

Yumi glanced around. The only building around was this old warehouse – a fish warehouse. They were no other buildings or houses, just the stretch of back road leading to the city. "We're still near Tokyo. I can see the bridge." Yumi tilted her head and Shizuru could see her eyes narrowed in concentration. "I say we have a good walk ahead of us – a little over an hour, most likely, if we keep up this pace."

"Then let's not waste any time," announced Shizuru with a little more determination. "We have to get back home."

* * *

Yusuke stared through the window with a weary gaze and slumped shoulders. She was sleeping peacefully upon a hospital bed and looked like an angel beneath the white sheet. He eyed the bandage wrapped around her head and the cuts that marred her cheeks. There was a cast around her right arm and it seemed to engulf her with its bulky size.

"Is she alright?" Yusuke asked in a hollowed sort of voice.

The doctor standing beside him smiled. "Yes, she will make a speedy recovery. The head wound wasn't fatal and there was no damage or even a concussion." She flipped back a page on her clipboard. "The only injury she truly has is the fracture in her wrist and arm. We'll be able to remove the cast in a few weeks."

He did not know how long he had been holding his breath, until he exhaled, and his lungs screamed at him in relief. He suddenly felt even older than he was, which to begin with, was too old, considering all he had been through in his young life. In a way, he was an old man.

"Mrs. Urameshi is a brave woman," murmured doctor in soft tone. "It seems she saved a young boy's life from fallen debris."

Yusuke glanced up sharply at the doctor, "what boy?"

She nodded her head over at the waiting room. Through the tiny windows of the double doors, Yusuke saw the teen boy slouched in a chair. He appeared saddened and kept his head bowed. Yusuke narrowed his eyes at him in annoyance, because the boy could have cost Keiko her life. He was even a little annoyed at Keiko's careless manner in which she had seemed to consider the kid's life necessary to save. That boy looked like a punk off the streets.

"You may visit her, Mr. Urameshi."

Nodding his head, Yusuke walked into the room. The door shut softly, but the click of the frame seemed to echo loudly within the room. He approached the bed with tentative footsteps as if afraid he was making too much noise. He thought about sinking into the chair and waiting for her to wake up, but once he reached the bedside, her eyes fluttered open.

"Yusuke…"

That one word, his name, from her lips zapped the rest of his strength. He did collapse into the chair next to her bed and leaned over her with a shaky sigh. He bowed his head onto her covered stomach and inhaled deeply at the warmth he felt from her body.

"Keiko, don't ever do that again," came his muffled reply against her stomach.

Keiko brushed a hand through his hair and whispered softly, "of course not, Yusuke…"

"Promise me."

When she didn't answer, Yusuke turned his face toward her and reached up to grab the hand she was brushing through his hair. He kissed the back of her hand softly and pinned her with eyes. He looked slightly panicked and demanded the promise again.

"Shh," she whispered soothingly. She could never make that promise. She was like him – ready to save a life without hesitation. "I'm okay now."

* * *

Kuwabara rubbed at his temples to massage away his headache. He always received a headache at night, whenever he would sit and think about his sister. She was gone for so long – he had never gone so long without seeing her. In fact, he couldn't remember a time she hadn't been there beating up on him, scolding him, and demanding he get his act together. She had always been there in his life.

He felt lost without her, really.

But now he had other things on his mind. Things were breaking. Hiei was gone with Karen to who knows where. Karen was such a sweet, kid. She never made fun of him or called him names whenever he acted goofy with Yukina. Hiei was the opposite and never had anything nice to say to him, but he had always been there for the team. And now, Yusuke had resigned. What was the team without Yusuke? Kuwabara was losing his friends.

Cool fingers pressed against his temple and massaged the aches with a soothing caress. He sighed heavily at the comforting act and leaned back a bit in his chair.

"Kazuma, everything will be fine. You'll see."

Staring at Yukina, Kuwabara took a deep breath. "I hope so."

She bowed her head and kissed his forehead before moving away to the stove. Kuwabara watched Yukina heat up some food and felt at peace seeing her move with ease about his kitchen. Engrossed with watching her, Kuwabara barely felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Once he felt the phone rumbling in his pants pocket, he tiredly dug it out.

"Kuwabara," he greeted automatically. He didn't even care to glance at the caller ID.

"Baby bro?" breathed a familiar voice – one he had known since birth, it seemed.

He wondered if he had finally lost his mind. Surely, he must have fallen asleep at the table and this was a dream. His fingers felt cold and gripped the phone tighter. He could hear the voice saying his name, but he was too stunned to respond.

"Kazuma?" asked Yukina. She had noticed his pale face when she turned to him. He looked as if he had seen a ghost. Worried, she approached with a concerned gaze. "Kazuma, what is wrong?"

He was still unresponsive and she moved forward to grab the phone. His fingers released the phone easily and she stared down at the device. Obviously, someone unexpected had called him, but Kazuma was tired. She stared at his drawn face. He hardly slept through the nights anymore. She eyed the phone with a frown. Whoever was calling was just going to have to call back at a more sensible time. She would not tolerate anyone upsetting him further.

"I'm sorry," she murmured into the phone in as polite a tone as she could manage, "but Mr. Kuwabara is busy –"

"Yukina?"

Yukina frowned in confusion. "May I ask who is calling?"

A shaky sigh breathed into the phone, "Yukina, it's me, Shizuru – I'm at the hospital."

Yukina gasped in alarm and almost dropped the phone, "oh, Shizuru! Shizuru – I-I hold on for a moment."

Turning to Kuwabara, Yukina cupped his cheek and lifted his face up to meet his eyes. His eyes were glazed over in confusion. He almost seemed to be in shock. In fact, he was trembling. She moved her hand to his shoulder and shook him slightly. Although she was small, she was able to give him a rough shake – enough that his eyes lost a bit of their glaze look.

"Kazuma, it is Shizuru!" Yukina exclaimed. She thought that one statement would be enough to snap him out of his reverie, but he just stared up at her face. Hardening her eyes into a look that meant business, she cupped his jaw and kissed him. "Kazuma," she murmured against his lips, "if you do not answer your sister, I will not marry you."

He gasped against her lips and pulled back with a look of disbelief, this time, aimed at her words. Sometimes, when she was determined or stubborn, he was often reminded of another _person._

"Please, Kazuma," she consoled more sweetly, "it really is her. She's at the hospital."

He looked up at her, as if to convince himself that hearing his sister's voice had not been a dream. But Yukina would not lie to him – not about this.

Gently, Yukina enfolded the phone into his large hand. She kept her eyes trained on him to reassure this large man that it was okay. He allowed her to raise his hand until the phone was pressed against his ear.

"Yukina, are you there?" echoed the phone.

Letting his breath out in a hiss, Kuwabara felt a stinging sensation in the corner of his eyes and he clutched at the front of Yukina's shirt. He was a man. He didn't cry, but his eyes were hurting. He must have gotten something in them – in both eyes. He was hardly away of Yukina's hand running through his hair.

"Shizuru," Kuwabara spluttered, "Shizuru, where have you been?"

A sob broke out on the other end of the line before she answered. "I never meant to leave. It wasn't my fault…"

The conversation continued and Yukina stood beside Kuwabara. When he finally smiled and his eyes lightened, she allowed a tear gem to crash onto the tiled floor. Oh, but she loved this man.

* * *

Twenty priestesses – that was how many priestesses there were in this generation. Of course, the plant was still pulsing oddly and one priestess was saying that there were three missing. Lena knew Karen, this friend of Genkai's, was a priestess. But the other two were not here. They had gone unnoticed.

_Only twenty-three,_ thought Lena sadly. On the outside, she was composed and serene looking, but on the inside, she was staggering from the number of the priestesses. There used to be hundreds! There used to be so many during her time – and now this small group was all that was left from this dying race until the next generation's time came when the worlds called for their souls.

What would these women think if she told them, that once upon a time, priestesses were worshiped wherever they went? What would these women think if they knew that temples were built in their ancestors' honor and that these temples soared until they seemed to touch the stars? How would they react if she told them that they had a long road up ahead of them, and that there was no priestess to lead them – just her, a lost guardian from a forgotten time?

She only hoped that the ancestors' of her sister's people will look in on this generation and help guide them, give a push in the right direction, because she could only do so much. Would it be enough to get them through this new darkness that was rising? Or will history repeat itself? Would she be able to do this right or was she still so attached to the past that she would… she closed her eyes, unable to finish that thought.

Out of the twenty in the room, eight showed immediate promise for being strong priestesses. They showed powers already and great ones at that. There was one that could fire off a powerful blast and she had given the guards such a hard time, that they had had to call in backup of five other guards. One priestess was so fast, that she had outrun the guards for over an hour, before succumbing to the fever of the spirit whistle and fainting in the middle of the forest. Another, the first priestess found and who had donated the energy to the pulse plant, was going to have powerful mental abilities. She was the one who had told Lena about the three missing priestesses. Lena had a feeling that that priestess was going to be very helpful in the future to come.

Seven other priestesses showed potential for powers – she could feel it. She could train them until those powers burst forth. The last five had low energies and had reacted poorly to the pulse plant. The fever was the worse in them and they had had to be sent to the infirmary as soon as they arrived.

She worried about Karen and if the young woman was still suffering the fever, but the fever would pass. The weaker the priestess's energy, the stronger the fever, seemed to be the ideal pattern. Karen, whenever she was found, would be categorized with the last five women. They might not have powers, but they were still priestesses. And all priestesses could learn the rituals given time and meditation.

Lena stared at one of the priestesses still in the room. She was the strongest of the group – the one that had dealt quite a blow to SDF guard's sent after her. If Lena could not feel the pureness of her energy, she would never have believed this young woman was a priestess. She was so… wild, which was indicated by the streaks of red in her brown hair. She liked cursing too. And the accent, a country drawl, seemed to make the curse more prominent.

Lena had always thought priestesses were stereotyped. She remembered when she was young and training to be her sister's guardian. She used to scowl at the priestesses, at her sister, because they were just so perfect. They were beautiful, graceful, and kindhearted.

Lena was the image of her twin sister, but she had not been kindhearted. She had been arrogant and distrusting. She had had to be in order to keep her sister safe during her trips to any needy village or the occasional temple for a ritual. She was a cold-hearted killer – had killed many demons that had tried to attack her sister. She hated that her sister was too trusting. Her sister always complained that she should smile more. She hated that her sister was always laughing. Her sister said that she needed to understand that there was more to the world than being the strongest.

Lena wished she had understood back then.

But no, she remembered that there had been some priestesses, in her time, that were beautiful and arrogant. She had met a priestess once that never smiled and her eyes were cold as her own oddly colored eyes. She had met a priestess that had been loud and cheerful, but lack the natural beauty of a priestess. But, in the end, they had always been beautiful in death.

She closed her eyes. She didn't want to think about the sacrifices. It was a time she wished she could have forgotten, as it had forgotten her.

"They're determined," remarked Genkai. The voice of her old friend disrupted her thoughts. She opened her eyes to stare at the girl that Genkai was studying. "She reminds me of Yusuke."

"She's the strongest of them – she's going to be even more powerful with the right training."

"But?" asked Genkai, as she could sense the word hovering behind Lena's lips.

"I learned the hard way that there are other ways to be strong."

Genkai placed a hand on Lena's shoulder in concern, "Lena?"

"I was just thinking that it is sad that they have no priestess to lead them – I can only do so much. I am hoping that my sister's ancestors will intercede, but I fear, that this group may not be able to find a way to contact them."

Not knowing what to say, Genkai did what she used to do when they had been younger, or rather, when _she_ had been younger. She reached a hand down to help her friend stand. Lena, seeing the familiar gesture, smiled and took the outstretch hand. She wished her sister had met Genkai – the only friend she had ever made, because the two women had been so hotheaded and stubborn, that when they met they had constantly battled before they finally conceded and decided to end things over tea. To think, it took finding someone like herself to make herself smile and laugh, as her sister had wanted her to do long ago.

"I think the ogre translators will take care of the rest of this," remarked Genkai. "The meeting was a success – Don't worry," the old woman glanced up at her, "I think this group will do just fine. They'll have us for teachers after all."

"I was just thinking the same thing." Lena smirked and her eyes flashed. "Sadly, they will hate us when we are finished."

Genkai rolled her eyes, "and I was so looking forward to retiring."

Smiling, Lena headed for the door. "Well, let us old women get to bed."

Genkai scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You're not old."

"No," Lena replied, "but I am ancient."


	21. Unexpected

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any lyrics or game characters that I may put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One: Unexpected

* * *

Shizuru brushed a lock of her hair out of her face and grimaced at the texture of her hair. She was ready to soak in the bathtub for two hours – one hour alone for her hair and the other for her body. And hell, maybe another hour for all that she had been through in the pit of hell.

Crossing her leg across her right knee, Shizuru's brown eyes flickered around the hallway of the hospital to take in various scenes. Doctors and nurses were fluttering about the halls. White coats kept billowing around corners, through doors, and down and up the halls. The main entrance doors kept swishing open every few seconds as new patients staggered in for assistance. Police officers were even milling about to talk with several patients and doctors.

The hospital was a mess.

Shizuru, Yumi, and Naomi had set out to Tokyo ready to bolt to the nearest payphone, but a few miles before reaching the city, they heard the screams of sirens. The closer they approached, the more of Tokyo they could see, and it was not a pretty sight. Buildings were blazing in the air like lit torches for the lost. Helicopters were roaring up in the sky and twisting around the buildings to fire off streams of water. It was all a rumbling terror to their weakened bodies.

Once in the city, they heard of the earthquake from the bystanders milling about to observe the chaos, help the officers and paramedics, or simply to gossip about the damage. The news on the television stated that the earthquake had been unexpected. Already, one hundred and twenty-eight deaths were announced and many more were injured. The channel also revealed that several major earthquakes had erupted around the world and that some experts were writing it off as the result from global warming.

But Shizuru's wired senses were telling her it was something much more.

"Hey."

Shizuru glanced up at Yumi with a tired grin. Yumi returned it and slumped into the seat beside the equally tall woman. They both leaned back and observed the hospital with half-lidded eyes. They were tired as hell.

"Naomi still in the room?" asked Shizuru wearily.

Yumi stretched out her arms, "y-e-a-h," she yawned out, "it's hell here – they have about five others in there. They said they'll call me when she's fixing to be examined and then promptly booted me out," she swiped a hand through her short hair. "I think it'll be the same results as with us, but it's better to have her checked." Yumi gazed worriedly over at the room across the hall, "she's my baby…"

Shizuru nodded. She herself had been examined with others in a large room with half a dozen beds and only curtains drawn for privacy during her examination. The hospital was using every bit of space they had to see to the staggering amount of patients. The more serious injuries had rooms to themselves for hygienic purposes. But Shizuru had not fared too bad. Malnourished, stressed immune system, and perhaps, post-traumatic stress from all she had undergone. She was told to rest, see a shrink they recommended (she tore the card up), attend support groups (tore that card up, too), take minor antibiotics for her immune system, and a bottle of vitamins. Other than that, she was fine.

Shizuru stared at the small white sack seated beside her with a frown, "I've never taken vitamins, but I was hoping for the dinosaur shaped ones, maybe even the gummi ones."

Yumi chuckled quietly and leaned forward to rest her elbows upon her knees. Together, they silently observed the hospital again. Two officers were filling out something on paperwork and one looked over at Yumi to give her a nod.

"I was right about them being gone before the police could investigate," murmured Yumi as she watched the officers leave. "I reported as many details as I could – gave them the location." Shizuru was surprised Yumi could give the location. At the time, Shizuru had only been focused on running as far as she could. "It was completely empty. They're still there and taking pictures of the cells. A few women were found there…" she eyed Shizuru, "and they'll investigate those bodies."

Shizuru remembered when three women had gone missing last week. She closed her eyes for a moment in a silent goodbye for them. After a minute, she stared over at Yumi, "what are they going to do?"

This time, Yumi's eyes narrowed and she looked angered, "there's not much they can do. We never saw the guards' faces. Oh, don't worry," she said once she saw Shizuru's frown, "they'll keep investigating the entire building. I'll be overseeing it tomorrow to make sure every bit of that place is dusted and scanned for any shred of evidence concerning those bastards." In a softer voice, but still laced with frustration, "right now, teams are limited because of the earthquake and no team can be sent out to try and search for these guys." Waving her hand, she continued, "anyways, a handful of women already gave accounts, so expect a visit soon – and they'll cover your hospital bill and any other help you may need."

Shizuru did not know what to say once Yumi finished speaking. She had a feeling those guards would not be found, because they were not exactly 'normal' men. Shizuru was going to contact Botan and have the ferry girl relate this news to Koenma. He would need to know of these demons that had captured them.

"Thank you," said Yumi in a quiet voice that startled Shizuru from her musings, "for watching Naomi. When we were separated," Yumi's hands clenched in silent fury, "I worried for her safety – every second of it. All I could do was watch from across the cell… so thank you for what you did. I'm in your debt."

"No debts," Shizuru replied. Giving a tired grin, she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, "she's alive and we're alive – that's all that matters."

"Fine, don't take my sincere gratitude," announced Yumi with a playful scowl. Hearing her name being called, she stood to enter the room. Before leaving, she tossed over her shoulder, "I have a feeling we just bonded – feels weird."

"Yeah, I know," Shizuru smirked, "that's what you call making friends."

* * *

The hospital was dangerously busy. All Kuwabara could see where people in white running around them as if they were being chased by fire. He could hear nurses and doctors calling out orders, statistics, and instructions every half a second. Every door he passed seemed to contain a pained face or weary gaze.

Yukina was walking ahead of him and seemed unperturbed by the panicked workers. She didn't even seem worried that she may be barreled over by any passing nurses, but that was probably due to her tall fiancé ambling behind her like some sort of bodyguard. They always walked like this, with her leading the way, and he trailing behind to protect her with his large frame. It worked too, because any approaching people (in this case, nurses and doctors) would instantly part a path around them. Yukina rather liked leading the way. Being a tiny woman (even if she was taller), she found herself somewhat in control whenever they went out. It was nice to be in control – especially when Kuwabara was distracted.

Approaching the nurse's station, Kuwabara waited patiently while Yukina leaned forward to converse with the nurse. A few people stared at him, or rather they, in a curious way. He ignored them and slipped his hands in his pockets. He was used to these odd looks – which were from his bizarre height, or the fact that he was in the company of a beautiful woman.

"Kazuma, did you hear me?"

Kuwabara glanced down at her and was amazed that they had already started walking again. She had taken one of his hands and was leading him down a hall. Recalling her question, he started to smile and nod his head (he didn't want to be like Urameshi who always got in trouble for not listening enough to Keiko). However, Yukina seemed to see through his smile and lifted an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, my love," he sagged his shoulders, "I'm not all here."

"It's alright, Kazuma," she smiled in understanding, "I was just asking if you think Shizuru would mind if we planned a dinner for her – with everyone invited?"

"That sounds great," however, he thought of his sister's preferences, "but sis isn't that big on parties unless there is alcohol involved –"

"Well, Kazuma, alcohol is nice for parties," answered a soft, husky voice, "but I'm not big on drinking these days."

Kuwabara turned his head and met a familiar face – a face he would know anywhere. Striding forward, he took in her appearance. The clothes were hanging off her body and seemed to swallow her entire frame. His eyes softened as he looked down into her face. The once fullness of her cheeks were more hollow and emphasized the shadows beneath his sister's eyes. But her eyes were still light – still Shizuru.

Unable to contain his happiness, he wrapped his arms around her and easily lifted her off the ground. His eyes narrowed at how frail she felt with his arms. If he ever found the people who had done this to his sister, he would never allow them to take another breath.

"Kazuma, the love is nice and all," she gasped, as she fidgeted within his hold, "but you're crushing me."

"Oh, sorry," he answered sheepishly.

Setting his sister back on the ground, he stared down at her with a curious expression. She rarely used his first name when addressing him. She always called him 'baby bro', 'little bro', 'idiot', or 'loser'. To his amazement, she was smiling up at him. He waited for her to scowl and hit him. It was how they usually greeted each other, but no, she was still smiling. She was different.

"Yukina, I hope my brother hasn't been too annoying since I've been gone," began Shizuru. "Now that you've had a taste for living with him, I'm sure you know how messy he can be and what an appetite he can have." She eyed Yukina with a lazy grin, "by the way, you have my sincerest apologies."

_Never mind_, he slumped his shoulders, _she's still the same._

Yukina laughed heartily and wrapped her arms around the taller woman's waist. She gave Shizuru a careful squeeze, "I've always known his habits and enjoy cooking for him five times a day. He's been quite the gentleman," she leaned back and astounded him, by giving his sister a wink, "as I've been keeping him in line."

Kuwabara blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. Seeing Yukina wink was something that struck him as _sexy. _He was immediately glad that Hiei was not here to read his mind, because he was rather sure that he would have had a sword plunged into his gut. And hearing Yukina talk of him as if he was whipped was embarrassing (yeah, he was whipped big time). But there was a side of Yukina that only he knew – like that she was stubborn (guess that runs in the family), sometimes had a temper (another family trait), and can be quite unpredictable.

"This is my good friend, Yumi," introduced Shizuru as she released Yukina, "and her daughter, Naomi – they were with me."

Kuwabara had never met a woman as tall as his sister, because Kuwabaras were known for being tall people. Yumi stepped forward and greeted him with a calm smile. In a way, she was like his sister – tall, cool, and collected. She had short, black hair in a stylish bob and equally black eyes that were piercing, as if she had seen a thing or two. Naomi, the daughter, was the spitting image of her mother, but he couldn't see her eyes, because she was asleep in Yumi's arms. He shook Yumi's hand politely.

"And this is my brother and Yukina, my sister-in-law to be."

"I-I – wait, how did you," he spluttered, "can you read minds now, sis?"

"Kazuma, I may have been gone awhile, but I'm not blind." Shizuru grabbed Yukina's hand to show him the shiny ring upon her delicate finger. "This is a huge rock, brother – I'm amazed you chose such a beautiful ring."

Yumi eyed both siblings and grinned. "He's exactly as you've described him, Shizuru." Kuwabara didn't think he wanted to know how Shizuru had described him to her friend. "I'm glad to have met you, Mr. Kuwabara," Yumi bowed her head at him and then turned to Yukina, "and you, Mrs. Kuwabara."

Shizuru slapped Kuwabara on the back proudly. "It's about time you proposed, Kazuma."

"Actually," Yukina blurted out, "I proposed."

Kuwabara's face turned an astounding shade of red and he glanced away, not wanting to see the mirth dancing in his sister's eyes.

"Yukina," he breathed in a quiet moan.

"I'm sorry, Kazuma," whispered Yukina hurriedly, "I forgot about our discussion to tell everyone that you proposed." She caressed his cheek, "I got excited."

Turning to Yumi, Shizuru shared a look with her new friend and they both had to muffle their laughter behind clenched fists. Kuwabara fumed silently at the whispered giggles, but forgot about his humiliation when Yukina leaned up to kiss his cheek. Feeling better from the kiss, he glanced sideways at his sister to give her a well-needed glare. However, his glare faded when he eyed the amusement in her eyes. She was shaking with hushed laughter and his smiled broadened at the way her face was lit up in happiness.

Just as Yukina had told him, 'everything will be fine'. Now, if only Yusuke was happy and arrogantly mocking his immense strength, Karen was at home enjoying a normal life and Hiei was here so he could work up the courage to tell him about the engagement – the world would be peaceful again. Everything would be better again.

Well, he would take what he could get.

He wrapped an arm around Yukina and smiled at his sister. "Welcome home, sis."

* * *

When I woke up, the fever was gone. Once I realized the fever was gone, the memories, that I had pushed back, came surging forth in order to be recognized.

I remembered the fight. I remembered the glow of my body. I remembered the guards that wanted to take me away. I remembered the fight between my friends. Lastly, I remembered leaving home.

So many things did not make sense to my overcrowded mind.

First, and the most important, was the mystery concerning the word priestess. The guards had wanted a priestess. Genkai had called me a priestess. What the hell was a priestess? Second, why was I glowing? The fever had accompanied the odd light that had burst from within my body. The cramps were something I would not forget – the prelude to the fever and glow. Third, why was Hiei so utterly tired?

Obviously, the first two questions could only be answered by one person – the one person that rarely answered any of my questions. And I knew Hiei well enough to know that he would not tell me the answers. He may answer me now and again, but I felt that this time, he would not provide an answer to these important questions. But I could try. It would not hurt to try.

Now, as for the third question, well, that was also up to Hiei.

I had woken up around noon and immediately relished in the idea at being able to see clearly, enjoy my cool skin, and appreciate being healthy again. I was so pleased with the fever gone that I was not bothered by the fact that Hiei was sprawled out next to me. Actually, I woke up feeling rested and comfortable. I was not addled in any way by his nearness – by the intimate closeness of sharing a bed with him.

For an entire hour, I laid beside him. It was odd to wake up next to him, but also familiar, as if I had always awakened beside him, and only now realized it.

He was sprawled on his stomach with his arms shoved beneath the pillow to brace the pillow more firmly against his cheek. His bangs moved slightly with each breath and the sight was pleasing to watch. He was completely relaxed. There was no trace of anger on his face. There was no scowl. There was no heated glare. This was the one time where we had gone so long facing each other where he did not glare at me as if I was disgusting – and sadly, it would only happen when he was sleeping.

He was beautiful.

After that hour, I took a shower. I showered off the clammy sweat that had clung to my feverish body from last night. I barely remembered what happened once we left home. I did remember taking a cool shower. Other than that, everything else seemed like a dream. At one point, I dreamt that we had been talking and he had actually been listening, but then it was a dream, because he poured water on my head. By the way, that was a rude ending.

But then the shower was done and he was still not awake. He hadn't even moved one inch since I had left his side. I frowned worriedly. Hiei did not strike me as a hard sleeper. Most of the time, he had always been up at dawn. And I didn't think he slept in such a relaxed position. It was too uncanny of him to sleep that way. He probably slept on his back with his arms crossed. Yes, that would be about right.

Sighing, I headed over to my bag.

There was a moment of wild thoughts. I could see myself picking up my bag and leaving. I'm sure I could leave, right now, while he was so utterly dead to the world. This was the one chance, I would ever get of returning home, but the guards would be waiting for me. Yusuke had not wanted me to go with the guards. Kuwabara held me back from surrendering. Hiei had taken me away to keep me from the guards.

Hiei had kept me safe from them.

I'm sure he only did so because of our bond. Surely, he did a majority of things because of the bond. But sometimes I felt like there was something in his eyes other hatred. Sometimes, I felt like there was something beneath the harshness of his actions. I had even dreamed of him washing my face with a cool rag – I had dreamed of him doing that many times last night and once, I thought I heard him trying to talk to me just to make sure I was still sane. I thought he had been running his fingers lightly over my arm…

I glanced over at him.

He was a rude man. He was a mean man. He frightened me in the beginning. He annoyed me on days that were calm. He aggravated me when I was having a good day. He liked to call me names that sometimes hurt to hear. He was always shoving me away. He was always grabbing my arm painfully.

No, I was not going to leave him. I trusted him, even if he would never trust me. There was something wrong with me and there was really no one else to turn to but him. I needed him. And whether he liked it or not, he needed me, too. We were just two individuals having to adapt to each other. I was always able to adapt well with many situations. This one wasn't any different…

He was all I had now. I knew that if I fell, he would at least be gracious enough to drag me off the ground, call me stupid, and shove me forward. If he fell, well, I would do my best to drag him until he could stand again.

One day, I liked to think, that he would come to care for me, just a little, as much as I already cared for his rude self. I was already spiraling down his dark path, because my feelings for him were growing more each day.

Turning back to the bag, I dug out some change in one of the pockets. I knew there was some lunch money there – oh, good, there was my wallet. I flipped through some of the bills. Yeah, there was a good deal here and we were probably going to need it. I shouldn't carry such a large quantity to school, but a few times, Kenji and I had gone to the mall.

_Kenji!_

Something in my heart was leading me out the door. I blinked up at the sun and frowned at the brightness. Before leaving completely, I hurried back inside to grab the key. Key in hand, I set off for the nearest payphone. There was one by the office.

I should not do this, but something compelled me to make the call. He was going to think I was insane, but he had always believed me. I felt like I had to get this all of my chest. If I did not, I would burst. Hiei would not tell me anything. Hiei would probably never sit long enough to listen to me for five minutes. But if I did not tell anyone, I was going to become insane. Kenji was the safest person I knew.

"Hello?"

The familiar voice made me smile. It was nice to hear his voice. "K-Kenji, it's me, Karen."

He didn't say anything at first and I thought about saying 'sorry, didn't mean to bother you, but I'll just be going now – Keiko's calling me'. I was ready to hang up, because I should leave him out of this.

"… What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," I hurriedly reassured him, "I was just calling about that homework assignment –"

"I know you, Karen," he interrupted.

My fingers clenched around the phone, not in anger, but in a deliberation of needing to hang up the phone. He was normal. I was something else – something that wasn't normal anymore.

"Is this about the earthquakes? I called your cell all last night – I was worried. Is your family okay?"

"… _Koenma has executed for humans to have their minds erased immediately!"_

I tensed at Botan's words from that night. Did they already go through with that plan? No, because wouldn't I have forgotten? I remembered everything, save for a few blurry moments during the motorcycle ride.

"And the homework assignment?" he continued while I was trying to figure out what exactly Botan had meant by Koenma's orders. "The teachers probably won't even remember it – I mean, every school within a hundred kilometers of Tokyo was affected by those earthquakes! Did you see our school on the news? It practically caved in – obviously, school's on hold."

"What… what else was on the news?" I asked dryly. The fight in Tokyo had been right in the smack of the city. It school have been all over the news! All the fighting, the woman with her flying abilities, and Yusuke's glowing finger – It should be all over the news. If not, then –

"Mainly, just all these earthquakes," I heard something click in the background that sounded like a television being turned on, "you know, several other countries were hit hard with these, too – there's groups of people all over the world going crazy about how these are preludes to the end of the world, but you know this happens whenever something like these earthquakes occur. It's crazy."

"But Tokyo – was that it? Just –"

"Is that it," his voiced rose incredulously. "Tokyo is a mess – the whole center looks like the earthquake went and started punching out all the buildings."

They must have only erased the fight from Tokyo – but what else happened around the world that would need all humans to have their minds erased, or more like, modified? So if that was the case, then all Kenji knew, and everyone else, were the earthquakes.

"There's something wrong with you."

I bowed my head at those words.

Yes, there was something wrong with me. I was so scared, because I could glow like a floodlight. I got so sick from these cramps. For the better part of the night, I was drowning in this fire. They kept asking for a priestess – Kenji, they called _me_ this priestess! Yusuke isn't normal, you know. Nothing in my life is normal anymore. Did you know Hiei was a demon? Did you know that not only is Yusuke my adoptive father, but that he's this lord in the other world, Demon World? Hiei has fists of lames and Yusuke can fire a blast clear through a building with only a finger! I know a grim reaper and we were flying, but she got hurt. Everything kept spinning and spinning. I saw colors as we prepared to hit the ground, but Kurama caught us with a plant – he can control plants! I don't know what's going on and no one will tell me anything!

I jerked upright when a bird cawed loudly in the sky. I stared at the phone in horror, because everything I had been thinking had left my lips in a constant babble. I had just told my best friend about the fight in Tokyo. I told him about Yusuke and Hiei. I told him about how I was this priestess…

But the words would not stop now that I had realized what I had done. I continued to talk, not in a panicky sort of way, but in utter calmness. I had to get everything out. I had to know that I was not crazy. I needed someone to help me clear my head, because I knew Hiei would never listen long enough to help ease these worries.

And when it was all done, I had used a handful of coins. I waited for Kenji to speak, but he was quiet on the other end. I wondered if he had hung up. I wondered what he was thinking. I wondered –

"But you're okay now, a-are you? You're safe from those people – the guards?"

I sagged against the phone booth and murmured in awe, "Kenji, you – you believe me."

"Well, at first, I thought you lost it," he answered honestly, "but half an hour later and you were still going on," he sighed into the phone, "this is all so strange – I know you… I know you," he repeated, "and you are serious, aren't you?"

I did not answer. His statement was not a question, but a confirmation to himself. He was silent again on his end and I was limp with relief. Everything was on the table. I felt lighter – free somehow.

"Okay," he said weakly, "okay." He inhaled sharply and this time when his words came out, they sounded more confident. He was still my friend. "So this explains why Hiei has those weird colored eyes, because for a long time, I thought he was trying to be some sort of creepy, gothic vampire – and your uncle, I mean, he's not, but you said he's got like a fox demon soul? Well, aren't foxes clever? He always looks like he knows everything, like no matter what I say – he already knows exactly how to respond."

"You're just saying that because he easily revealed the truth from us about how his car door really got that dent in it."

"Yeah," Kenji chuckled, "and that had been my first time meeting him… some first impression, huh?"

We spent another good thirty minutes talking about me being this priestess. Surprisingly, Kenji said he would do what he could to research the subject. He surmised that there might be something available in a library, because a lot of what I had told him, well, the world kind of already knew about them. Most of the odd things in life were always based on a bit of truth.

We also discussed that we would keep this call between ourselves. I told him I would not tell Hiei, as Hiei wouldn't have liked it if I had revealed all this information. I was sure Kenji was not supposed to know about all this information, anyways. Kenji agreed with my musings and said that since no one would suspect him having known all of this, then he could easily go about researching what he could without rousing suspicions.

"What do you think your family is going to tell me?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"I'm sure they'll say I'm sick or something." It was a likely possibility.

"Right, well," he paused as if he was checking something, "I guess I should put in an appearance soon or it'll look weird since I'm usually there every day. Good thing I have some experience as an actor."

"Do you think being the lead tree, in the Wizard of OZ, will be enough experience?"

"Yes," he said proudly, "I got a standing ovation for accidently throwing the apple too hard and knocking over Dorothy – mind you, she was a bully."

And this was why I loved Kenji.

"Be careful around Kurama," I warned after we shared a good laugh, "I mean, Shuuichi – those are both his names, by the way. Just make sure you use the name he introduced you to."

"I doubt I'll see him around," he retorted. "Actually, I'll avoid him at all costs."

It was time for a goodbye. I looked over my shoulder and eyed the hotel room. Hiei had not come looking for me yet, which was a sign that he was probably still sleeping. Otherwise, I doubt he would have let me talk for so long on the phone.

"I'll call you when I can, Kenji."

"We never got to go see that new Zombie movie."

I sighed sadly, "I know."

"… be careful, Karen. Don't worry too much," he reassured. It was strange to hear how much older he suddenly sounded. "I've got your secrets now."

…

…

…

"Thank you, Kenji," I inhaled deeply, "for being my friend."

"Best friends," he corrected.

The walk back to the hotel room was a happier one than the walk toward the phone booth, where I had felt worried and rushed. My footsteps were lighter. My head was clearer. The future, my future, was not a ship on the horizon, but now a port to welcome the ship.

After the conversation with Kenji, I had muddled around the room for a better part of two hours. I watched TV for fifteen minutes, but had switched the television set off after only fifteen minutes. Every channel consisted of news about the earthquakes, damage to Tokyo, school closings, and the one hundred and twenty-eight deaths. The last part had me switching the set off with a shaky hand.

So watching TV was a no go.

I set about finding the nearest vending machine. It had just about all the goods one could expect to gain a pound or two from, but given the circumstances, weight was such a bleak manner. I could not decide on any one thing, because everything seemed delicious. Since I had never gotten around to eating dinner yesterday, I was starving. And if Hiei ever awakened, he was bound to be hungry, too. I ended up purchasing bottles of water, sodas, chips, granola bars, and some pastry looking things. It wasn't the healthiest meal, but the choices were limited.

After eating, I poked around the hotel room and found a map, crossword book, and several brochures. I concentrated on completing several puzzles, but found my eyes constantly straying to Hiei.

He had not move – not one bit.

I glanced at the clock and whispered to myself, "nearly four."

I was growing more worried now about Hiei. Quietly, I crawled onto the bed and leaned over him to peer closely at his face. He was still breathing.

But he had been in the fight yesterday.

Biting my lower lip in worry, I contemplated on whether to leave him alone or shake him awake to make sure he was okay. Of course, I already knew my choice.

I reached out to his shoulder, ready to give him a gentle shake, but then I glanced back up at his face. His calm expression was captivating. This expression was the only time I would ever see him so at peace around me. It almost seemed like a crime to have to shatter this moment.

Entranced by the idea that this was the only time to have him so unguarded, I reached out to his face instead of his shoulder. My hand was shaking as I brushed back his bangs and heat crept up my entire arm. Wanting to revel in the heat some more, I made to repeat the simple gesture.

And he moved so quickly, I did not have time to retract my hand. I was pushed onto my back and pinned to the mattress by my wrists. The bed sheets fluttered up around us from the abrupt movement and part of the sheet fell across my eyes. I was blinded. I could not see his face, but I could feel him above me. I could feel his weight pressing me into the mattress.

"_What the hell are you doing?_"

His voice sounded too close – so close that I could feel his breath against the lower part of my face. The words were hissed out in anger and I immediately stiffened.

"I-I was waking you up – I was worried."

"Little fool, I do not need you worrying about me."

I frowned at the sound of his voice. This time, the words were murmured softly instead of sharp with anger. Of course, he had every right to be angry at first – I had probably startled him.

"I know, but it's nearly four," I was settling into a nervous babble, "and like I said, I was worried."

"Hn."

"Of course, you have every right to sleep! Unless you're hungry, because if you are, well, I bought an armload of snacks." I tried to stop, but the words kept coming out. "They're not the healthiest snacks, but the pastry thing is good. I bought some sodas, because of the caffeine! I wish they would put tea in there."

There was a tingle coursing through my body and I almost shivered at the feeling. I could feel him moving slightly, almost as if he were leaning down.

"Are you sick," I blurted out, "because you don't look too good – not that you don't look good," I could feel myself blushing, "but I mean, not that I think – d-did you want to sleep more?" I asked in an effort to distract from my earlier babble. "I can leave you alone now."

His breath felt closer against my face and I swallowed nervously.

"But you'll have to let go of my wrists… Otherwise, I can't get up. I can go back to doing the crosswords again and you can sleep. I promise I'll be quiet –"

"Shut up."

Abruptly, I scowled from behind the sheet. "You don't have to be rude." I bristled up at him. "Let go of my wrists and I'll get up. You know," I pushed against his hold, "I'm getting a little uneasy with this sheet over my eyes and you're not exactly light. You're heavy –"

"Do you not know the meaning of 'shut up'?"

_Geeze, he is so mean_, I thought angrily. "Why are you always so unpleasant? I told you I was worried about you and I mean, I'm freaking out over –"

There was abrupt pressure against my mouth and I winced in pain. The pressure was bruising and something knocked sharply against my teeth. But then there was the overwhelming feeling of heat, of hot breath, as the pressure lifted slightly, then settled more softly against my lips. There was a soft nip and my mouth opened automatically.

Dazed, I felt myself getting lost in the fire. I was sinking further into the mattress. I was gasping as the air left my lungs. I was relishing in the tingles that were fluttering in my stomach. I was breathing in a new life. I was –

_I was being kissed by Hiei!_

Panicking, I sprang up with unknown strength. In my haste, I knocked my forehead against Hiei's forehead, chin, or cheek – somewhere! The kiss ended and he growled loudly above me. Once he removed his hands, I clawed at the sheet over my eyes with a sudden urgency to see.

He had turned away from me and was sitting on his side of the bed. He was leaning forward, elbows braced on his knees, and massaging his forehead with his hands. My own hand flew up to my forehead and I grumbled under my breath.

_That's what you get – _I fumed while rubbing my forehead. _I hope I cracked your skull._

"You did."

Hearing him speak, I muttered, "I did what?"

"You cracked," he gritted out between clenched teeth, "my damn skull."

"Well, like I was thinking…" My words died as I thought over he just said and what I was now saying. I remembered the conversation about him saying how he could read my mind. Lifting my eyes, I stared at his naked back. I didn't realize he was shirtless. "I-I thought," I cleared my throat and tore my eyes away from his body."I thought you said it was a – that my thoughts were unclear."

He continued to massage his forehead and ignored my question.

"Why can't I feel you invading my thoughts – I mean, compared to the first time, this time was painless."

He was purposely ignoring my questions, just as I had known he would do. He only answered what he thought deserved an explanation and mostly the explanations were just rough remarks to rile my temper.

Sitting in silence, the unexpected kiss popped into my head. It had been quick and hard, leaving me little time to react. I never imagined my first kiss to happen so roughly. I always envisioned my first kiss would be more romantic and special – something I would never forget. I thought it would be like in those cheesy novels where the woman was swept off her feet, breathless, seeing fireworks, and having the whole foot popping up thing.

Not that it hadn't felt nice… too nice.

"First kiss?"

At the question, my jaw nearly fell open in shock. I was blushing again in humiliation. He was hearing my thoughts. He was hearing my thoughts right now. This was not good. He said that my thoughts were unclear and scattered. He said with time it would be easier to hear my thoughts. It was only the next day and he could hear them?

Pushing past the humiliation, I allowed my anger to surface again. "That's not fair. My thoughts are private."

"Figures," he scoffed.

Amidst the heat of my cheeks, I glowered at him. He was mocking the fact that it had been my first kiss, as if I was some girl that was too weird, too clumsy, or too ugly to have already been experienced with the fine art of kissing. The only reason I had never kissed anyone was because I was shy and socially awkward – and these reasons sounded a great deal better than weird, clumsy, and ugly. He did not have to be such – such a pain in the ass!

He lifted his head and turned his body toward me. When our eyes met, I narrowed mine in hurt, anger, and embarrassment. His eyes were dark and unreadable, but not narrowed. He was not glaring, but I was glaring enough for the both of us.

When he reached a hand out to my face, I angrily turned my head away and stared at the wall. The back of his hand grazed my right temple. I was too aggravated to bother shoving him away. The touch lasted for a second and then he was removing his hand. I felt the bed shift. He was standing.

"Do not go wandering around again," he demanded.

I knew he was going to scold me for leaving him alone in the room. I picked at the hem of my shirt with a frown. I saw him rummaging in his bag. When he found his clothes, he headed to the bathroom.

"And next time, shut up," he remarked before entering the bathroom.

I heard the implication in his tone. He had just told me the reason for kissing me.

Grabbing the nearest pillow, I heaved it over in his direction. The bathroom door closed before the pillow could hit his ungrateful back. Frustrated, I threw the other pillow for added measurement. With the last pillow, I grabbed the ends and stretched it furiously. I pretended that the pillow was his good-looking face.

"You, you," I hissed in anger at the pillow, "jerk!"

* * *

"Easy there, Keiko. Easy does it." Yusuke ushered Keiko into the house with a hand at her elbow, as if he were leading an old lady across the street.

Peeved at being coddled, Keiko swatted at his hand. She was not an old lady!

He immediately retracted his hand and gave an affronted, "OW!" Narrowing his eyes, he rubbed at his hand. "What was that for?"

"I have a broken wrist," she explained crossly as she stepped over the threshold, "I'm not old." She shot him a fiery glare, "I am perfectly able to enter the house on my own."

Yusuke waved a hand over her in an indication of her current state, "but you're in a delicate shape! The doctor said you need rest," and just because he knew it would aggravate her further, he added, "and I have to take care of my goods."

"Yusuke Urameshi," her eyes were full of fire, "don't think that just because I have a cast on means that I cannot slap you." Keiko lifted her chin, "I'll just have to make do with my other hand."

Yusuke eased away with a husky chuckle and allowed her to walk away with short, brisk steps. He always liked seeing her eyes sparkle with anger. Too bad, she couldn't use her other hand – the strong hand. He had a fetish for the slaps.

Keiko continued to mutter under her breath while she marched up the stairs. She was at the top and passing the first room when she suddenly stopped. Slowly, she turned and stared at the room.

The door was thrown wide open and she entered the room hesitantly. The bed was hastily made and automatically Keiko was smoothing the sheets and straightening the blanket properly. Keiko fluffed the pillows and positioned them neatly in place. Done, she headed over to the dresser and fixed the clothes half hanging over the drawer. She eyed the unfinished homework on the desk and leaned over to look over the math problems half finished. Keiko ignored the way the tears were spilling down her cheeks as she corrected the neatly scrawled equation. She didn't even wipe away the tears as she turned to the closet to hang up the fallen clothes.

With each shirt she hung up, memories of Karen surfaced before her eyes.

They had been strolling late at night in Tokyo and both laughing loudly while they posed in front of the store windows, both modeling the outfits hanging on the mannequins. Karen was painting Keiko's nails and Keiko was telling her about all the dates she went on with Yusuke. Keiko was wiping at her tears while watching her favorite soap opera and discreetly Karen was doing the same (even though Karen denied liking the soaps). They were both shopping for food and Keiko was telling Karen about the proper way to prepare somen. They went to Keiko's favorite teashop and talked for hours, about nothing, about life, about odd dreams, about favorite things, and it had all felt natural to do so.

Karen was calling her mom (yes, she had heard it) and the very name made Keiko's heart soar with some sort of happiness – some deep feeling of contentment, like she had been waiting to hear it all of her life.

Yusuke had told her about Karen – about everything. She hated to think that this was thrust upon Karen. She had been living a normal life and now she carried this burden. Karen's soul was in danger in this harsh world, worlds – entire universe. It was not fair.

It was not fair, because Keiko loved that girl.

The first time they met, Keiko was hard pressed to figure out why she already felt attached to the young woman. She was not a friend. She was not a girlfriend. She had always felt like something more to Keiko. It was strange. It was wonderful. It was as if Karen, despite her age, was always meant to be her daughter, but time, life, age, had separated them.

Maybe that explained how quickly they bonded.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Keiko wiped at her tears and hefted up the laundry basket from the bottom of the closet. Karen would be coming back home and Keiko would have the room ready for her arrival.

She headed down the stairs and could hear how silent the house was, as if it seemed to mourn Karen's absence too. There was no Karen calling for her help on her math homework. There was no Karen chatting away with her friend, Kenji. There was no Karen murmuring over books from her room, the kitchen, the stairs, or the living room. There was no sumo wrestling blaring from the TV as Karen settled in to watch a match. And Hiei's silence was absent… if that made any sense. It was just too quiet.

"You guys took pictures."

Keiko turned to Yusuke as she entered the living room. Clutching the basket to her hip, she walked over to him. He was facing the bookshelf where she had set up all their treasured pictures. The shelf was full of memories and Keiko was constantly filling every nook and cranny.

She leaned slightly and stared down into the frame within Yusuke's hand. Within the frame, was Karen dressed in her school uniform and smiling awkwardly at the camera.

"She was nervous that day," she commented in amusement, "can you tell?"

"Yeah," he said with a grin, "the arm-wrist holding habit."

Reaching out, Keiko plucked up another frame, "look at this one, its Karen and Kenji." Seeing Yusuke's eyebrow lift at the boy's name, she laughed, "no, silly. He's her _friend_ – you should see how they act around one another. It's as if they had known each other for years. He's such a sweet boy."

Yusuke studied the picture with an amused smile. This Kenji boy was tall, but scrawny. He was sitting atop a bicycle wearing a white polo and shorts – a tennis outfit. Karen was standing behind him on the back stand and using his head as support to hold herself up tall. She was wearing a headband, which was apparently stolen, because Kenji was reaching back for it with a grin.

"Oh, no," Keiko glanced worriedly at Yusuke, "what are we going to tell Kenji?"

"We'll tell him she's sick," Yusuke replied casually, "which works cause' she does have that lung problem. We sent her to the country, to Grandma's – it'll be good enough."

There was another framed photograph and he eyed the picture with interest. This one was a close up of Hiei and Karen. Hiei was wearing those dark sunglasses and concentrating on the chinstrap of the helmet atop Karen's head. Karen was staring up at him from beneath the helmet – such an odd light in her eyes. He shook his head. Yusuke was surprised they had managed to capture Hiei. That demon hated taking pictures.

"Yusuke," Keiko gazed worriedly at Yusuke. His face was drawn and the dark circles beneath his eyes stood out in the lighting of the living room. "Are you okay?"

Yusuke rolled his shoulders and placed the frames back on the shelf. "Yeah, I'm just tired. My energy feels busted up, like it's taking too long to recharge."

"… maybe," she began hesitantly, "you can ask Kurama or –"

"Nah," he immediately interrupted, "it's coming along, just slowly." Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her temple and mumbled, "I'm going to take a shower."

Watching Yusuke head up the stairs, Keiko sighed tiredly. She knew what had happened between Yusuke, Genkai, and the SDF. She knew also that Yusuke had not liked being withheld information from the people he trusted.

"_I can't be the hero all the time."_

Hearing Yusuke's words made Keiko sigh again. She knew Yusuke was still a little shaken up over the fact that she had been injured during the earthquake. She also believed that was what was making him refuse to demand his job back. He was feeling guilty for being away from her – from not being around to experience life with her and maybe, _possibly_, the life as a family.

When she was younger, she would have greatly accepted this reason. She would have swooned at the thought of him choosing her over his need to save the world. But Yusuke had always been there when the world needed him. Maybe he really was worn out from all the fighting and missions. Maybe he was ready to settle down now. Maybe she should slap him and say 'go back, be the hero, save the day, and we'll still be here waiting for you'.

Maybe she should just stop worrying so much.

Glancing tiredly at the picture of Hiei and Karen, she huffed, "Hiei, you better take care of her."

Somehow, that statement made her feel better.

* * *

Typical, the girl sits out while the men discuss business.

I had been sitting on a wooden bench for the better part of half an hour while Hiei conversed with a man outside a bar. Next to the bar was a gas station and I thought about heading inside to peruse the store again, but Hiei strictly forbade me from leaving his line of sight. However, he would not allow me near the bar and had me stay on this wooden bench outside the station.

So, I sat with our bags and the small sack of food we had purchased. I sipped from my water bottle and watched Hiei.

I'm not sure what made Hiei head over to the man, but it happened as soon as we left the store. He simply stopped and glanced over at a man heading out of the bar. Whatever it was, it had something to do with the bike, because Hiei rolled the bike over to him.

Fifteen minutes later, I saw them switch keys with each other and the man glanced over at the bike with what looked like a gleeful grin. They exchanged a few words before Hiei nodded somewhere over his shoulder in a casual way. The man shrugged and they disappeared behind the bar in an unhurried way. I perked up with a frown – what were they doing? Before I could worry, Hiei came striding back into view, looking completely at ease. Instead of heading for his bike, Hiei aimed for the truck. The man appeared a minute later and seemed to be shaking his head in confusion.

"Get in," ordered Hiei once he pulled up beside the bench.

I struggled to gather up the bags and the sack of food, but paused to glance over at the man. He was still shaking his head, but seemed completely happy at having the bike. Hiei took the bags from my hands and set them behind the seats. Turning to the truck, I set the food in the middle of the bench-like seat. With a huff, I grabbed the handle above the passenger's side and hopped onto the seat (damn, this truck was high up).

"Hiei," I asked curiously while watching the man zoom away on the bike. He threw his head back and appeared to be laughing. "Where did you guys go off to?"

"Belt," he said instead.

Sighing, I buckled my seatbelt.

For four days now, we had been on the road constantly driving. At first, we went one direction, but then Hiei seemed to change his mind and turned another way. He would drive well into the night and checked into whatever hotel was available at the time.

I tried asking about the fight in Tokyo, but Hiei would not answer me. The only question he answered was the money issue. I had been worrying about money, because we were traveling so much and staying in hotels – I seriously thought I was going to have to take up an odd job like waitressing or something. I would not mind working, as I did want to help. He didn't have to do everything. However, he settled my musings with a 'money is not an issue'. That was that and he continued driving.

I yawned and settled back against the seats. The truck was clean and spotless (the dashboard held no ounce of dust). That man had taken great care of his truck. There was even a pine tree card hanging from the rearview mirror. It made the truck smell nice.

Glancing out the window, I stared tiredly at the setting sun. At least, we were not on the bike. Riding for hours on a bike can make the bones weary – so weary that not even a hotel bed could soothe them. There was a time when I would not have mind travelling, but this kind of travelling was very tiring. We just never stopped in one place for too long.

"We'll stay somewhere in Shirakawa-go after tonight."

He had been reading my thoughts again. Too tired to care, I leaned against the door and turned toward him to stare at his profile, "permanently?"

Again, no answer, but I think he meant for his silence to be a 'yes'.

The outside of the truck may be high up and appear large, but the interior seemed small compared to the exterior. I never noticed how much room Hiei took up, which was odd, because I spent a majority of the time riding behind him and clasping him around his waist. He leaned back against the seats and stretched out his legs. Another person could fit between us, but that distance seemed quite small when riding with Hiei.

Without the roar of the bike, I could ask questions more easily. "Is Shirakawa-go nice?"

Hiei stared intensely at the stretch of road before us and the darkening sky cast a shadow over his face in an eerie way. But I was not afraid of Hiei and gazed at him comfortably.

"Yes," he finally answered.

I was pleased that he had actually answered my question, but tried not to make a bid deal of it. Turning away, I leaned my forehead against the window. The cool glass felt nice. "We're traveling all night this time, aren't we?"

"Go to sleep."

I sighed wearily and eyed the sky. I watched the stars blinking into view and the sight reminded me of the night in Tokyo. I could see the stars then too…

"… I trust you, Hiei," I murmured after a long moment.

I expected him to scoff or grunt, but he was silent on his side. Settling more comfortably against the seats, I turned more toward the door and squished into the crook of the seat. Closing my eyes, I prepared to sleep inside the truck.


	22. Not Gonna Be Alone Tonight

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two: Not Gonna Be Alone Tonight

* * *

There was a small prod at my side, just under my ribs, and I grunted softly at the tingly sensation. When the act happened again, I pulled at the material covering me and snuggled further against the seats.

"Mm," I moaned once the prodding continued again, "that tickles."

"You slept too long."

The voice was familiar, so familiar, that I did not bother waking up. I muttered something in response and began dozing off again. I was almost asleep when an orange glow eased beneath my eyelids, like the flicker of a flame. Yawning, I gave into the light and opened my eyes. Blinking away the bleariness, I eyed the passing scenery outside the window.

_Shirakawa-go, _I wondered.

Once my eyesight cleared up, I could make out huge fields of green. Most of the fields were shaped in a square and had small patches of water in the middle of them. The sun was just now appearing over the mountains. Already, I could make out a few people crouched down in the fields with their hands dipping into the blades of grass. A few wore straw hats and were carrying small bags at their waists. As we passed by them, a couple waved up at us. Smiling softly, I raised my hand against the glass and returned a lazy wave.

If this was Shirakawa-go, it was lovely.

My eyes flashed to the radio and read the time. Yawning again, I stretched my arms and the material covering me fell from my shoulders. Awake now, I glanced curiously at the makeshift blanket. It was the red and tan, letterman jacket Hiei had worn when I was in the hospital.

That had been such a long time ago.

I did not remember covering up with this last night, but no wonder the jacket was thrown over me – it was freezing! Shrugging into the jacket, I huddled within the warm coat. The AC was on full blast and cold air was circulating into the truck. I glanced over at Hiei and wondered why he was driving a freezer. However, the question died on my tongue once I saw his face. The dark circles were appearing again and his shoulders seemed tensed, as if he were fighting to stay awake. He had turned the AC on to ward him from sleep.

That was another thing. Since the fight in Tokyo, Hiei had been on the verge of exhaustion. It showed every time we stopped at a hotel. He would sleep heavily, practically sinking into the mattress. He barely moved (even when I accidently rolled into him a few times) and slept in until the sun was well up in the sky. Over the past few days, he had been looking more energized, but since he had driven all night, the fatigue was overtaking him again.

I tried to convince him to stop somewhere for the night, because honestly, he needed the sleep. However, he kept telling me to go back to sleep and be quiet – I did a few times, but woke up now and again to repeat the request.

"You should have slept," I tried to make the statement bold and accusing, but it came out soft. He glanced over at me and I frowned worriedly, "you haven't been – I mean, you just seem tired lately."

I paused and inhaled deeply, trying to express the correct words. Hiei's eyes flickered back to the road briefly, but settled back on my face. He was waiting for me to explain. Apparently, he was forgoing the task to read my mind or perhaps, at times, my thoughts were a bit unclear for him.

"I'm worried about you."

His eyes burned intensely and I wondered if I said something wrong, but then he was glancing away. He studied the road and moved the steering wheel with a wrist.

"I told you not to worry about me," he replied darkly.

_"Little fool, I do not need you worrying about me."_

Remembering the phrase from that first morning, I turned away with annoyance. Hiei would never admit to being tired. He would never admit that he was weakened from that fight. Actually, he would not admit a great deal of things to me. I was just the _little fool _accompanying him on a road trip.

Well, I would take my days one day at a time. I had learned early on not to expect much out of life and with that idea – I easily accepted what was handed to me. It was how I functioned. Every bad thing went to the back of my mind and the new days I greeted with a smile. If one smiles, then the world did not seem so bad.

I suppose the same could be said for relationships, even if our relationship was an odd one. Having any kind of relationship with Hiei would take an astounding amount of days at a time. But whether he liked it or not, I considered him as some sort of friend. Friends were cranky people too, right?

Changing the topic, I glanced outside, "this is Shirakawa-go, right?" There was an endless amount of country. Ancient looking houses were starting to appear. This was a quiet area. "Where are we staying at?" I asked when he remained silent.

"A house," he drawled, as if it were obvious.

"Oh," I replied. Thinking over his answer, I turned toward him with a curious frown. "Wait, a house?"

His only answer was to turn onto a dirt road. There were more fields and more people milling about in the fields. On the outskirts of the fields were a great many trees and the grass before them waved like hands.

We soon passed a decent size village and I could make out multitude of thatched roof shops. Great deals of local people were fluttering about for a day's worth of shopping. It looked like some sort of market or a town square. I could make out several horse drawn carriages. But we didn't enter the village.

He made another turn and here, the waist length grass flanked the sides of the truck. Large, old-fashioned, Asian farmhouses flickered past us and they were huge. Some houses were tall with several floors while other houses were long and stretched several lengths. One beautiful feature about the houses was the roofs. Each house had huge, sloped roofs that pointed up into a triangle peak. Paper windows covered most of the outside of the houses and added to the oriental beauty. The entire framework of the houses was made of wood.

It seems we were going to hide out by blending in with the countryside. It made sense. Unless, those people somehow knew Hiei would take the country way – but Kenji once told me that there were still a great deal of countryside, because they produced the staple of food for Japan. If that was so, then I suppose the people, SDF as I recall, would have their work cut out searching all the villages outside of Tokyo. The countryside was broader and this would explain why Hiei had traded the bike. A bike out here would be too flashy and captured too much attention. A truck could easily navigate these roads, too.

But what was I going on about – I was hardly one to strategize about the proper way to outrun supernatural people. Kenji would have fared off better in my position. He was intelligent. I, on the other hand, was just under satisfactory (as suggested by my scores). I was even satisfactory at my other school, which may or may not have been my fault. Back then, the teachers had hardly given me the time of day and what I learned, I had to listen carefully to my peers while in the library looking for abandoned pencils. It's amazing what you could learn just by sitting near fellow classmates while they work on their homework! It almost felt like I was a part of their group.

So strategizing was not my thing – but for some reason, I was okay with science. Science was the only subject that I had not needed to study too much while preparing for that horrid test. There was once this prodigy like student that had used to talk to me at my other school. She was great in science and helped me until he ended up leaving before senior year. However, if I was okay with science, why did I struggle with math? Keiko was always asking that whenever she would correct my equations.

Thinking about Keiko and Kenji began leading to other familiar faces.

_I miss them._

With a sigh, I pushed away their faces and memories. To help ease away the memories, I focused on the mountain in the distance. It towered up in the sky and had a snow-capped peak. Dark clouds hovered above it like birds.

In a way, Shirakawa-go reminded me of Hakone. At least, I was going to be around nature. I smiled a little at that thought.

Chancing a glance at Hiei, I wondered if he knew that I had just spent a good twenty minutes reminiscing about home. If so, he didn't remark on it, but well, we should clear something up.

"I've been meaning to –"

"If you can't concentrate enough to block me, then your thoughts are free to read."

_How rude,_ I glowered. _He didn't even let me finish speaking._ I was going to ask him to stop reading my mind, because my thoughts were private. However, thinking over his words, I knew he had a point.

"Excuse me, if I don't know how to properly block you," I muttered under my breath, "but is it really necessary to do so all the time?"

He gave a disgruntled sigh and I glanced over at him sideways. He was rubbing a hand over his face tiredly. "What does it matter," he asked as if it was not a big deal.

"Because, I don't always know what I'm thinking about and some things are, well, there kind of embarrassing, hence private thoughts," I glanced back out the window to avoid looking at him. Well, if he was going to read them (I really couldn't stop him from doing so), then he should at least show a little respect. I remembered the kiss from the hotel and blushed, "j-just don't go humiliating me with them and if you have to laugh," I doubt he would, "then don't do it in front of me… please?"

"Hn," he grunted.

After that, we settled into a comfortable silence. I continued to watch the scenery outside until the truck turned up a narrow, dirt driveway. The grass, on either side of the driveway, began thinning out and a clearing came into a view. Before long, a small house, similar to Asian farmhouses, appeared.

Like the rest, it was covered with the paper-like windows and sliding screen doors. The entire house was sitting upon a wooden porch that sat low to the ground. It was unpainted. The roof looked to be made of thick straw and peaked up into a triangle (not so grand like the other houses). Yet, even as it was plain and barren looking, it was beautiful.

"Is this it," I asked excitedly. I thought about asking about the cost, but Hiei had said that money was not an issue. I figured he had acquired a bit of money over the years. He had helped Yusuke on missions and he probably got paid handsomely from them.

Pulling up close to the house, Hiei parked the truck and jerked the keys out from the ignition. Despite not answering, I took the answer to be a 'yes'. Excited, I shoved open the heavy door and made to jump out of the truck. In my haste, I forgot to unbuckle my seatbelt. Embarrassingly, I was flung back into my seat with a small grunt.

I thought I heard Hiei mutter 'little fool', but when I glanced over, he was gone. Frowning, I turned away and reached for my seatbelt. However, there was already a hand at the catch and I shrieked loudly in surprise. There was a growl and I grinned sheepishly. Hiei was very close as he leaned over me to unlock the belt. I didn't mean to scream loudly in his ear.

"Do I have to," there was a resounding click and the belt went fluttering into its holder, "shut you up again?"

Blushing, I hurriedly shook my head. "N-no, I'm sorry."

Ignoring my stammer, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me toward him. Being slid over to him seemed to take forever and when I was pressed against his chest, I could feel my heart thudding violently inside my chest. His entire body seemed to engulf me with heat and warmed me up considerably. Nervously, I held onto his arms and waited for him to set me on the ground. Very leisurely, he slid me down the length of his body…

_Dear god,_ I inhaled sharply.

Once on the ground, I glanced nervously up at his face. Swallowing, I tried to step away, but his arms kept me in place. He was staring down at me with a peculiar expression. Bravely, I met his gaze head on and his eyes were burning –

A small honk sounded behind us and I turned away from Hiei with a start. A faded green truck was chugging up the driveway and approaching the house. In the truck bed, two girls were peeking out from the sides with gleeful smiles. I smiled at the sight of their happy faces.

The truck pulled to a stop and the engine clicked off with one last chug. The passenger side door opened and an old woman hopped down. She wore a red patterned dress and a scarf around her neck. The two small girls climbed out from the truck bed and bounded after the old woman. The driver, a middle-aged man, soon exited the truck and approached us. He was about Hiei's height

"Morning," greeted the man to Hiei, "I'm Daisuke – we talked over the phone." He shook Hiei's hand and I could feel Hiei's other hand resting against the middle of my back. I swallowed nervously. Daisuke's brown eyes flickered over to me and he tipped his dark ball cap, "morning."

"Good morning," I replied politely.

"Good morning, indeed!" greeted the older woman with more enthusiasm than the man.

The woman approached me with outstretched hands. Shaking both of my hands, she pulled me forward and placed a kiss on both of my cheeks. I smiled bashfully. She was very friendly.

One of the girls, the oldest I assumed, because she was taller than the other girl was, stood beside the older woman. The other girl was tiny and I smiled warmly down at her little face. She beamed up at me from beside the taller girl.

Once the greetings were done, Daisuke nodded over at the house. Removing his hand from me, Hiei entered the house. I watched after the two men and took note of how they matched each other in height. They were probably going over the transactions for the house. I didn't think it was necessary to purchase a house, but Hiei was in charge. I had to trust him.

Turning back to the old woman, I smiled. "I'm Karen."

The old woman's lips curled into a lazy smile. "You can call me Mei." She turned to the two girls, "these are my granddaughters – my son, Daisuke's daughters. Here's the eldest, Suki."

Smiling politely, Suki bowed politely. "It's nice meeting you."

I grinned at her. She was rather mature for such a young girl – she had to be about eleven or twelve. I was familiar with kids. I had grown up with a great deal of kids. She was the spitting image of her father and had short, brown hair and soft, brown eyes.

"And this is Nukia," Mei indicated to the little girl at her side.

I guessed Nukia's age to be around five. Like Suki, she had brown hair, but her hair was long and style in a high ponytail (I was horribly reminded of Botan's hairstyle). Instead of brown eyes, she had green eyes. I thought they were unique and pretty. Her mother must have the same color eyes.

"Hi, Nukia," I greeted.

She seemed to be bashful, because she ducked her eyes.

Turning away from the girls, I eyed the house. "The house is beautiful."

"Yes, and you're getting a very good deal for the house." She glanced up at the house with an admiring smile, "mainly, because it is a great deal smaller than the other houses and also, the previous tenant left rather suddenly. He was an Englishman," she explained, "a writer, but about a month ago, he packed some bags and decided to travel. He left most of his furniture here – said he did not need them and gave us back the keys. He arrived with only a few bags. I suppose he travelled around a lot – he was only here for a year."

"So there's furniture in there already?"

"Yes, and some of it is modern. There is electricity, but he only has electric lanterns hooked up. The water is well water, but don't worry, it is excellent quality." She assured me. "We have it tested." Then, with a frown, she said, "the other reason you got such a deal is because of the roof. A storm hit after the man left and there's some damage." She patted my arm in a motherly way, "but you're husband said it wasn't a problem and he could handle it. Daisuke will be lending his hand."

"M-my husband," I spluttered.

"And we're here to help with the cleaning," announced Suki, sounding more of a child as she boomed out the words. "That's what neighbors do."

"Yes," Mei grinned and headed over to their truck, "which is also why I've brought some old dishware of mine, because he barely had any – typical bachelor. When I arrived in Shirakawa-go, my husband and I arrived with little, as well. You'll also need help airing out those rooms and dusting out the futon. The girls can handle the floors. With hard work, we can have this place spick and span for you two.

I helped Mei with her dishes and followed her into the house. She continued to speak while we headed into what appeared to be the kitchen.

"I know how it is," she murmured consolingly, "to be a newlywed." I cleared my throat uncomfortably at the statement. "You know, I married young, too. We marry for many reasons. My marriage was done so by a matchmaker and it turned out quite fine. Don't worry – I see the passion in your marriage! That'll be great for children!"

_C-children, _I nearly gasped.

I was ready to splutter out that we were not married and I didn't want to think about the possibility of children – but then I thought about our predicament. She seemed to accept that we were married. In fact, she was practically gushing that being married, and being strangers, in this village was perfectly acceptable.

"I am not from this village! No, no," Mei chuckled and looked around the sparse kitchen. "I was sixteen when I married – my father did not approve of our marriage, so we set out to find somewhere to settle down. This village is quiet and friendly." She set the box down by a cabinet. "Most here are farmers and others are like your family and my family– just needing to find a quiet place to raise our children. We keep to ourselves and welcome any newcomers with open arms," she smiled at me, "as you can tell."

So, this was why Hiei sought marriage as a perfect alibi. Before I could panic into denying us as a married couple, I bit my tongue. Playing it safe by not saying a thing about whether we were married or not was ideal for keeping this cover (he could have at least told me!). I would just ignore that she was referring to Hiei as my husband (and the children). Hopefully, my face would stop burning before I came face-to-face with Hiei and ask him why he did not feel the need to include me in on this scam marriage.

"Do not worry, dear," she continued on, "everything will be fine. I see you don't have rings – those are quite a modern touch. However, I didn't have a ring – didn't need it. Now, Daisuke, he bought a huge ring for his wife. That boy," she laughed, "he took the ring thing more seriously than the act of actually proposing. I think they are a bit needless, so it seems we share the same idea."

I blinked. _Wasn't there anything she didn't notice? When did she take the time to see if there were rings on our fingers? _

"Let's ready this house for you and your husband." We went back out to the truck and gathered up her cleaning supplies. "I'll even give you some recipes!" She beamed up at me, "I know that being a newlywed, cooking is a top priority, because," she elbowed my side, "husbands are lazy with that sort of thing and I don't know about you, but I would rather cook inside the cool house than mess with the house or yard on a hot day. Nice trade off, hm?" She handed Suki a bucket, "but as a young woman of today, I know that most woman lack cooking skills. Do you have any experience cooking?"

"I – well," I was about to tell her that I could make some mean grilled cheese sandwiches, but she was already speaking again.

"Ah, then we have work to do. I'll have you pleasing your husband's appetite in no time. I have recipes that will have him obeying your very command. I have recipes that can soothe out any fights that may occur between you! I have recipes that can cause a fire inside him and will have you two with your first child by the end of the year!"

I hung my head and allowed my cheeks to burn.

* * *

All day, I worked beside Mei and her granddaughters. True to Mei's words, Suki and Nukia took care of the floors. I could hear Suki calmly correcting Nukia on how to clean the floors.

For an old woman, Mei could really move. It seemed we were always moving about the house. We swept the dust off the porch. We dusted every corner. We opened every window in the house. We were going to dust the futon, but Suki and Nukia wanted to beat the mattress. We cleaned out the bathroom. We wiped out the wardrobe and drawers. We worked and worked.

The entire morning, I went without seeing Hiei. I figured he was somewhere up on the roof, because I could hear movement up there. I hoped he was okay. He had not slept one bit and was bound to be close to passing out. What if he conked out and went tumbling off the roof?

"Karen, how are your sewing skills? I'm an excellent seamstress and can give you plenty of pointers on various patterns. I know as a new wife…"

The day continued that way, with everyone working and Mei's abundant amount of advice.

When the cleaning was done, we started unpacking the boxes the previous owner had thoughtfully packed to keep from collecting dust. They were mostly books and Mei suggested I replaced them on the shelves in the front room for decoration. I got a little reprieve from Mei's advice when she left with Suki to observe the futon she had dusted. Surprisingly, Nukia climbed into my lap and helped unload the boxes. She chattered about dolls, crayons, and flowers. At one point, she asked if I was _carrying_ a friend for her to play with and I coughed nervously at her innocent question.

_Why me,_ I pleaded silently.

Deeming most of the housework done, Mei made me sit in the kitchen and began writing down a bunch of recipes. Knowing that I could actually be useful if I learned to cook, I listened carefully to her words. Hiei was doing quite a bit as it is and I wanted to help pull my weight. I was going to do my best to be helpful – not because Mei said it would help us have children! I just wanted to be able to help us survive!

Noon came and Mei brought in an ice chest with food she had thoughtfully brought over to share. It was nice having lunch with the girls and Mei. I was able to converse with them freely. Whereas, with Hiei, I would try to strike up a conversation, a question here or there, a comment on the weather, but nothing I said would get him to say more than a few sentences.

After lunch, I thought I would be nice and fix Hiei a plate. He had to be hungry. Mei did the same for Daisuke and kept up her strings of chatter.

When we were done, I decided to bring a glass of water out to Hiei. The temperature had risen greatly and was no longer cold, but blazing outside from the bright sun (I had to change into shorts). Suki wanted to do the same for her dad and I filled a glass up for her, too. Nukia said her dad might want another glass, but I figured that she didn't want to be left out. So, I filled a glass for her and grinned at how her face lit up. Being around them reminded me of the kids I used to watch at the orphanage.

"We're leaving," Mei announced as the men climbed down from the house. I knew Hiei could easily hop down, but he used the ladder with a scowl. Mei wanted to go to the market, because she did not want us to starve. I figured it was probably good to do so, since the bit of food we did have was a couple of trail mix bars and an apple.

"Your wife is absolutely lovely," Mei remarked when Hiei strolled over to us and I forced back the blush ready to shoot to my cheeks, "but I'll have to steal her away to the market. We don't want you two starving!"

Hiei's eyes flickered over to me and I ducked my eyes, only to glance away, because, damn it, he was shirtless. His shirt was gone and his chest glistened in the sunlight as if he were some sort of deity. Hiei was extremely well built (something I tried not to notice) and I hated to have to talk to him while he was flashing his hotness. Refusing to peek at his well-developed abs, I held out the glass of water.

"You know, you could have told me about the cover up." I watched as he tipped back the glass. I swear this sunlight was making him _sexy. _I was watching the way his throat moved as he drank the water – it was almost hypnotizing! Jerking out of my daze, I remembered to be upset about him withholding information from me. "Would it hurt you to tell me things now and again? What would you have done if I had told them that we were not married?"

He continued to drain the glass down to the last drop.

"You can trust me, you know?" I continued to rant under my breath. "I realize that this is an easy cover up to use, but did it ever cross your mind to include me in on this decision –"

"Shut up."

"I hate it when you tell me to 'shut up'," I fumed up at him in a low, harsh whisper. "You could say thank you for the water! Oh and maybe thank you for the lunch I set out for you in the kitchen! By the way, it was delicious – not as if you care for that sort of thing because you never talk to me –"

Before I knew it, he grasped my chin and lifted my head for a quick, harsh kiss. "I've warned you about this," he mumbled against my lips.

My head was spinning from the kiss, but at his warning, I glowered up at him. He was reminding me of the hotel incident. I thought about pushing him away, but considering Mei and the others were outside, I settled for ending the kiss with a turn of my head. He was going to play the loving couple it seemed – too bad we were anything but loving. We just had a weird bond with one another.

He leaned away and moved his hold from my chin to graze the side of my neck. Softly, he caressed the area just below my ear with his thumb. To an audience, it would appear gentle – a loving intimacy between couples – only it was a physical reminder of his strength to emphasize his demands.

"Do not," he whispered in my ear, "go anywhere alone."

Briefly, the memory from the night of our departure wavered before my eyes and I eyed the trees in the distance. I was being hunted by guards and could not afford to go anywhere alone – yes, I understood his order. Thinking of the guards, I could not help wondering about that night. Why wouldn't he just tell me what it all meant?

"Forget that night," he answered my thoughts, "this is your life now."

For some reason, I wanted to argue with him. I wanted him to tell me what was wrong with me. I wanted to know why they were looking for me. But apparently, he had his reasons for keeping this information from me. Perhaps, he thought the less I knew the better off I would fare. Maybe he thought I couldn't handle the news. Or maybe, he simply did not want me to know, because he was a jerk like that – I think it was the last choice.

"C'mon, dear!" shouted Mei as she headed toward her truck.

He released me and reached into his pocket. Pulling out a handful of bills, he held out the money. I reached out for the money and tugged, but he did not immediately release the crinkly bills. I stared down at the money and then to his other hand where the empty glass resided, not quite wanting to meet his eyes.

"Do you understand," he jerked my gaze up to him with his voice, "do not go anywhere alone."

Still upset, I clenched my hands around the bills and made to step back. He kept a firm grip on the money and his eyes blazed with the warning of his demand.

It was sad to think that the only time he ever really talked to me was when he was ordering me around or threatening me.

"Karen."

"I promise, I promise," I huffed begrudgingly. "Now, if you'll excuse me," when he didn't appear to be letting go anytime soon, I angrily kissed him on the cheek, "I have some shopping to do." If he wanted to keep up this charade, then I would act the part – even if he was a spiteful, distrusting demon. I knew what was at stake. I wasn't a complete idiot!

He released the money with a narrowed gaze and I went bounding away toward Mei's truck. I hoped that shopping for food would ease away my frustrations.

* * *

We headed into the village that Hiei had passed up earlier this morning. It was quite large, but not large enough that it would take an entire day to navigate. Mei explained that many people came here for shopping and business trades – she said the other surrounding villages came here, too.

The market was crowded and every few stalls, I could hear men and traders discussing various prices for numerous items. Mei led us to the produce part of town and bought me a gift. It was a straw, braided basket. She said it was ideal for my shopping. If it didn't all fit, she said I could always bring Hiei with me to carry the leftovers. Most of the time, a basket would suit my light shopping when I was alone – I almost scoffed at that, because Hiei would never allow me to come to the village square alone.

It was awfully crowded. At one point, the crowd almost knocked Mei and Nukia over, but she shuffled out of the way before any damage could happen. Still frustrated at Hiei's distrusting attitude, I felt like swinging my large basket around to clear us a path, but then that would not have been a mature thing to do.

"There are several stores here and vendors from out of the city come to display items before winter hits! It's almost nice to see some of the fancier items out there – not that we have any use for much technology!"

I nodded at Mei and allowed her to dump a few tomatoes into my basket. Nukia bounded over and tossed in a large cob of corn. She seemed to like accompany Mei places – Suki had stayed behind with her father and Hiei.

"That store there," Mei pointed over her shoulder, "has a good selection of clothing for a reasonable price." I filed that information away. "That there," she eyed another store, "is the local doctor. There's the post office – has phones for use. There's the vet, but they mostly tend to sick oxen and the like."

My basket was starting to get heavy as we shuffled past various stalls. Eventually, we had to carry a few sacks, because my basket was full. Mei did convince this teen boy to carry the flour and bag of rice to the truck. Another lesson was Mei's need to teach me to bargain with the vendors. She said that sometimes I could get a lower price if I hounded the vendors just right – I probably wouldn't need to, because Hiei seemed to have plenty of yen. Besides, when Hiei came with me, he could just glare at the vendors. I'm sure that would be just as effective.

We went back to the truck after over an hour of shopping. I was extremely pleased, because my arm was aching from carrying the loaded up basket.

"Since we've finished early, how about we browse through the shops?" Mei exclaimed with a weathered smile. "Is there anything you'd like to do while here?"

"Yeah, the post office," I suddenly remembered, "you said they have phones?"

Mei did not bother asking any questions concerning my need to use the phones. She simply kept chatting about other stores and dishing out more advice. Once we arrived back at the post office, she explained about how much it would cost to use the phone.

"We'll look at this stand," she explained to give me some privacy.

Heading into the post office, I selected the farthest phone booth. I gave the correct amount of change and hurriedly punched in the numbers into the large gray box. The phone rang once.

"Hello?" answered someone in an eager sort of way.

I smiled at the sound of his eager voice, "Kenji!"

He immediately recognized my voice and blurted out, "I thought it might be you! Did you guys get settled somewhere – what's the plan?"

"Yeah, we did." Knowing Kenji would not blurt out our location, I felt no need to hide the information from him, "we're in Shirakawa-go."

_"What the hell?"_

"What?" I asked incredulously. I didn't expect him to react this way to our location. "I know it's far away, but it makes sense, doesn't it?"

"No, I mean, yes," something slammed shut in the background, "I wasn't cursing the idea – my food didn't heat up right in the microwave…" he curse again, "anyways, Shirakawa-go? That's a long ways from here."

I did not want to spend a lot of time talking about Shirakawa-go, even though there was a great many things I wanted to share with him – but there more important matters. I hurriedly asked him if he had found anything yet.

"I found some things, but I don't think it's the kind we're looking for," he remarked seriously. "We have priestesses, you know, like mikos, and I'm still researching that area thoroughly – only I don't think it's the same as you. Do you think your kind of priestess issue deals with temples?" I heard pages being flipped, "because I pulled a few of those books from the library. Do you remember anything else from that night?"

Closing my eyes, I kneaded my forehead. I tried to remember back to that chaotic night. As I was thinking, Botan's face popped into my head. She had been flying down to our group and she was explaining in a lingo I did not understand.

"… _Temples have appeared out of nowhere – all over Human World and Demon World!"_

_Kurama steadied Botan with a hand. "I believe this is just a tremor from the real earthquake fixing to take place."_

_Botan's eyes widened. "But that earthquake would have to be huge – I mean, if this is the tremor –"_

_"No, Koenma showed us the seismic waves and these do not follow regular earthquakes, because in a sense, they're not really earthquakes."_

"_You're right – t-these are preludes to the arrival of a temple.".._. "_The three demons that appeared all showed up right before the temples arrived in their locations! The two demons in Tokyo – they're waiting for a temple!"_

Remembering the bizarre conversation, I relayed the news to Kenji as quietly as I could manage. I did not want any locals overhearing me, but the post office was not too crowded. Everyone was out shopping.

"Okay," Kenji murmured. I thought I heard him scrawling away on something. "So that explains those odd earthquakes." His voice grew quiet, "what concerns me, are the demons. You said the grim reaper chick mentioned that they were waiting for these temples to appear," he suddenly sucked in a breath, "Karen, do you think others are after you, besides these guards?" He paused before breathing out, "I think these demons are enemies – they fought with your family, after all."

I paled at the idea. No wonder Hiei was adamant about me not going anywhere alone. "I don't know."

"Okay, let's just forget that," he hurried on. I think he could feel a bit of my fear. His voice sounded a little shaky. "No, this is good information. I can't do anything about that other world, but you said that temples, whatever they have to do with this, are in our world too. I'm going to head to a few different libraries, collect a map, and plot out just where exactly most of these earthquakes hit."

"But don't go there," I blurted out. "You'd be insane to investigate them personally – and I don't think you'll be able to find them. Spirit World did the mind erasing thing and I bet they would have done something about these temples, too – there like the law with the worlds."

He sounded glum about not being able to investigate properly. "You're right," he sighed after a long minute, "but I'm still plotting them out. I think I'm just going to start pulling everything there is about temples, priestesses, demons, legends – the whole works. I'll find something."

We both seemed a little shaky discussing this bizarre information. Hearing a beeping sound, I slipped in some coins.

"Who in your family do you think knows the most," asked Kenji.

"All of them, surely," I thought of the fight between them, "but remember they were fighting before I left – something about a traitor."

"That's right," exclaimed Kenji. "Your dad seemed pretty upset when I went over yesterday."

I smiled at how easily Kenji mentioned Yusuke as my dad, even though I told him he was my adoptive father for school reasons. Thinking over his words, I frowned. "You went over yesterday?"

"Yeah, I went in and visit with your mom – oh, I forgot! She was hurt in the earthquake –"

"Oh no," I felt my stomach clench tightly, "what happened? Is she okay? I can't –"

"No, no, no," he shushed, "she got hurt, but she only fractured her wrist. She's fine, really. I didn't mean to worry you." He gave me a moment to calm down before talking again. "I went in and asked for you – told your mom that I had been trying your cell and got worried – then, your dad came in from the back." He cleared his throat nervously, "geeze, he made me nervous. He looked like he just finished jogging and he was all rough looking. I kept remembering what you said about how he was this great fighter, lord, kind-of-demon person – I was sweating bullets."

I almost laughed, but held it in for Kenji's sake.

"He recognized me from the pictures and then they told me you were really sick, said you was always kind of delicate – bad lungs or something. They said the earthquakes stressed you and that they had to send you to the country with your grandma."

Wow, they made me sound weak. I sighed – Yusuke probably put in the delicate part.

"S-o-o-o," sang Kenji, "I pretended to be sad and bid goodbye, you know, did my sad friend part, but then your dad said 'what is wrong with kids these days? Is skinny the new fashion?', and they made me stay for dinner.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I don't think he likes skinny people."

"Yeah," snorted Kenji. Once we shared a laugh, he finished with his story. "Before we were going to eat, guess who came over?" He paused for dramatic effect before whispering, "Kurama – your uncle."

The dramatic effect worked and had me gasping. "Really – he rarely comes over, unless he's dropping me off from school or has to talk with dad." It was odd now had easily the family names came out – I suppose I was simply used to mentioning them to Kenji that way before _everything_ went down.

"We all sat down for dinner," Kenji's story was getting interesting, "your mom made Cajun ribs and normally I like those, you know I do." It was true. She had made them before when he came over to do some homework. He ate until his stomach bulged. "But this time, I was nervous, Karen. I kept thinking about what Kurama was – about that time I accidently made that little dent in his car door!"

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Mei and Nukia looking at some woodwork. Mei was happily examining one with a mirror in it.

"I ate one rib, _one rib,_" he emphasized, "and I looked up – I don't know what made me do it, but I looked up. He was looking right at me!" I could see Kenji shaking his head. "I felt like he could see right through me. I remembered you said he had a keen sense of smell – do you think he could smell that I was hiding something?"

I tried to remember the stories Botan had told me of Kurama. "I don't know – maybe, he could tell how nervous you were."

"Yeah, well, I started swallowing food left and right – I was gonna jet out of there, but I choked on the spicy rib and tears came out of my eyes." He was speaking quickly now. "Your mom asked what was wrong and so I said the first thing I could think of, which was that I missed you. She started bawling, your dad said 'oh, he's just taking the news hard', and your uncle just nodded in understanding. So, I went to the bathroom and you know just wasted time," he laughed uneasily, "and when I went back out, your dad and uncle was talking in hushed voices in the living room. I tried to eavesdrop." He lowered his voice into a whisper for some reason. "I heard your uncle say 'reconsider this, Yusuke' and your dad was like 'I'm tired of this – never ends'. Then, they stopped because your uncle abruptly changed the topic to us, said something like 'best friends' – I felt like he knew I was eavesdropping."

"Do you think we should… tell them," I asked quietly, "about where I am?"

"No," Kenji answered automatically, "because you mentioned that traitor business. We have no way of knowing if that is settled."

I sighed tiredly.

"Anyways, I promised your mom I would come back again. I said goodbye to them, shook your dad's hand, went to shake your uncle's hand, but thought better of it – I felt like if he touched me, he would know everything," Kenji gulped. "I made up an excuse about feeling sick. I hurried back to the bathroom and stayed there until he left." He let out a huge sigh. I could picture him collapsing onto the couch in a cold sweat. "After that, your parents dropped me off at home."

"Kenji," I breathed, "I really am sorry. I can't imagine how you must have felt after that."

"It's not your fault," Kenji retorted. "However, I am making sure to avoid your uncle."

I wanted to keep talking to Kenji, but I had already been on the phone for a good twenty minutes. He seemed to sense the conversation was about to end, too, because he was silent on his end.

I closed my eyes, "are you sure mom is okay?"

"Yeah, she just misses you," he said, "both of them."

I bowed my head and spoke quietly, "I'm not sure when I'll be able to call you again. Hiei won't like that I called you." I didn't have to explain further. I had already told Kenji that Hiei was withholding information for some reason.

"Try, though, okay?" he begged. "I'll do what I can here."

The phone call ended and I headed back over to my companions. When we were heading back to the house, I focused on pushing the entire conversation with Kenji to the back of my mind. I hoped Hiei took reprieves from reading my mind. If I had to, I was going to think constantly about the one person that I tried not to think about – Hiei.

I hoped it would be enough.

* * *

It was almost evening when we arrived back at the house. I insisted that Mei be on her way. I told her I could handle putting away groceries. She seemed a little sad, but I knew she was tired. I could see her rubbing her lower back. I thanked them all for the help and bid them goodbye. Mei said she would visit again shortly.

And then it was just us.

Before, that would have bothered me greatly, but I was still annoyed at him for this afternoon. He seemed to be angry, too, because he left me alone in the kitchen to put away the groceries. Of course, he probably thought women belonged in the kitchen and felt no need to lift a finger where housework was concern.

It was seven o' clock and I had no idea what to cook. Suddenly, I regretted all the times I criticized Yusuke's cooking. Grabbing the deck of recipe cards, I searched for something fast to cook. I saw a familiar dish – rice balls. It sounded simple. I didn't have time for a side dish, but since I was handling the cooking, well, I made the final decisions.

First, I had to put away the groceries. I needed the space to put on the rice (with any luck that would not take long). I started filling up the fridge and cabinets. I struggled with the rice bag. Where the hell was I going to put the rice?

I found some clean canisters in a cupboard and measuring cups in a drawer. Problem solved, I scooped the rice until all of it was inside four canisters. Stowing the canisters away, I pulled out a rice cooker and measured out some rice.

"Easy," I grinned to myself.

With everything put up, I decided to check on Hiei. He told me not to worry about him, but I didn't miss the way he seemed to be heavily leaning against the doorway when we arrived home. His physical state was the main reason why I hurried to rid our neighbors. Hiei did not look like he could stand any more company.

The house had a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and three rooms. One room was the master bedroom, another was the study, and one was empty. I was still surprised about having a house – er, well, it was Hiei's house.

Despite the age of the house, it was actually quite modern. The bathroom adjourned the bedroom, which Mei said was an addition from some time ago. The English man had knocked out the wooden tubs (pity, I liked baths) and installed a shower. At least, the well water was drawn through pipes by electricity, but if they should ever freeze, Mei said there was a pump out back. I did not want to think about staying that long.

I reached the bedroom and debated on knocking on the wood beside the screen. Hiei would most likely ignore the knock. Sighing, I slid open the door and tiptoed inside.

He was asleep. He was sprawled out much like our first night at the hotel, except he was sleeping on his back. He had an arm beneath his head and one resting on his bare abs, er, stomach (curse him).

Moving close to the bed, I leaned over slightly to check if he was breathing. His hair was slightly damp. I could smell the light shampoo. I had snatched some tiny bottles from a hotel. Luckily, I remembered to buy a bottle. I was going to have to put that away before I forgot.

Well, since he was asleep, I was going to leave him alone. There was no need for us to share a bed anymore. It was necessary while we were sleeping at the hotel, but here, we had space. I know there were some blankets in one of the hallway closets. Mei had given them to me.

I was ready to turn and set up my bed when his hand latched out to wrap around my wrist. I choked on a gasp and glanced at his face. He still had his eyes closed, but his hold on my wrist was firm. He had been awake the whole time.

"You sleep in here."

Ignoring his demand, I said, "I thought you were sleeping."

He blinked open his eyes and I saw the shadows beneath them. His eyes moved up to my face. It was strange to be standing over him when he was the one who usually towered over me.

"A-are you hungry," I asked timidly.

He scoffed in an annoyed sort of way, "you took too long."

Bristling with frustration at his attitude, I narrowed my eyes. "Well, I was trying to decide what to make for us." I should have just made sandwiches – stupid me! "I'm new to this – next time, I'll just feed you bread. Will that satisfy you?"

Hiei glared up at me and tugged on my wrist. Bracing myself, I pulled back from him. The action caused him to sit up with a tired scowl.

"You're tired. You can have the bed," I offered. "It'll be good for you to have –"

"And what did I say earlier?"

Huffing, I pulled one last time on my wrist and succeeding in freeing myself from his grip. Before he could move, I held up a hand. "There's food out," I exclaimed, "I have to put it up or it'll spoil."

Whether he believed me or not, I was heading back to the kitchen. There was no food to put up, but I did turn off my rice cooker. Apparently, he was not in the mood for food. I actually wasn't very hungry either – I kind of felt sleepy from all the work today.

I drained the water, but left the rice. Maybe the rice would still be good. Leaving the rice in the pot, I pushed it to the middle of the counter. With nothing else left to do, I remained standing there and tapped my fingers against the counter.

"Food, huh?" asked a dark voice.

Whirling around, I instinctively backed up against the counter. He was leaning against the kitchen doorframe and eyeing me with an accusing glare.

"Yeah, but I already put it up." I lied. "It was just a few things…"

"Hurry up, then."

He always got under my skin. I crossed my arms. "Why do you insist that we share the…" We locked eyes and I knew why he wanted to sleep in the same bed. He was weakened – enough that he thought that I would – I narrowed my eyes and voiced the last of my thoughts. "You don't trust me at all, do you? You think I'm going to run off –"

"What did you do while at the market?" he demanded.

I refused to fall for his trap. If he knew, then he would not be asking me. He had to be testing me. He was waiting for me to blubber out something. Of course, I didn't go anywhere _alone_. Looking away, I waved over at the fridge, "I bought all that food! It's a market. What do you expect?"

"Look at me."

"No," I said resolutely. "Take the bedroom. I'm sleeping on the – _put me down_!"

He had thrown me over his shoulder with all the care of a man simply shouldering a bag of rice. I was ready to beat his damn back, but a part of me was remembering the shadows beneath his eyes. Angry that I could not do such a thing, I reached out for the kitchen's frame. I hated that I was too considerate of people – even Hiei!

"Put me down," I demanded, "this is unnecessary and I hate being dragged around – ow!" There had been a slight prick at the back of my bare knee. The pain was hardly enough to hurt, but it was shocking for him to have done something so light, considering the times he had twisted my arm or wrists. I immediately released the frame. _"Did you just pinch me?" _I hissed angrily.

As soon as I let go, he blurred into the bedroom. He annoyingly dropped me onto the mattress. I bounced on the mattress from the force of the fall. Quickly, he switched off the lantern and reappeared in bed before I could scramble away. Straddling me, he pinned my wrists firmly to the bed.

"_Go. To. Sleep." _He stressed each word furiously.

I wanted to argue with him. I didn't get to shower. I wasn't sleepy. You're a bastard. I wished we could be friends. You're a jerk. Why are you so mean?

But close up, in the dark, I could still see the dark circles beneath his hardened gaze.

Biting back all the words I wanted to say, I had to remember that Hiei had done everything in his power to make sure we were somewhere safe. I owed him a great many things.

When I made no move to struggle, he finally released me and settled onto his side of the bed. I angrily rolled over and shoved a pillow more firmly under my head. The day's work took its toll on me and I felt my eyelids drooping. I had one last thought before succumbing to sleep.

_Being married is hard._


	23. Snakes, Eggs and Husbands! Oh My!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three: Snakes, Eggs and Husbands! Oh My!

* * *

Kuwabara sipped his tea loudly with his little finger curved outward to imitate the 'fancy' way to hold a teacup. He looked over the rim of his cup and watched Kurama sipping his tea carefully. Kurama appeared to be thinking and had a finger pressed to his temple while staring silently ahead.

Kuwabara wondered what his friend was pondering. He always wondered. With Kurama, one never knew what was going on inside his head.

In the presence of strangers, Kurama often put up a mask to keep others from reading into his thoughtful state. But Kuwabara knew that even though Kurama seemed lost inside his mind, the fox was still aware of his surroundings. It was only with close friends that Kurama allowed himself to brood deeply without having to worry about donning on his mask. It was a sign of trust.

This was one of those times.

Leaning back in his armchair, Kuwabara lifted his head and breathed in deeply. He could smell meat stewing. His patted his stomach and stared over at the kitchen, wondering what Yukina was cooking for lunch. With Kurama here, as a guest, Kuwabara knew that whatever they ate would be carefully prepared. Yukina always liked to cook her best dishes for guests, not that she didn't cook her bests dishes for him, but she liked to make sure her guests ate well.

Taking another appreciative sniff, Kuwabara sighed dreamily. He loved her cooking. Even so, if Yukina did not know how to cook, he would have still married her. She had too many lovable quirks that he loved – from her beauty to her kindness. Everything in between her outward appearance and inner splendor pulled him toward her in a hypnotizing way. Still, the cooking was an added bonus.

He was a lucky man.

Kuwabara turned back to his friend and drained the teacup of its amber liquid. Setting the delicate cup upon the coffee table, Kuwabara daintily wiped his mouth with a napkin. Properly cleaned, he straightened in his chair by pulling his shoulders back. He couldn't speak with slouched shoulders and tea smeared on his lips! He had to be prim and proper, displaying manners because he was going to be a successful lawyer someday.

Yes, Kuwabara was going to be lawyer and he had to learn his manners now, because he was a Kuwabara. A Kuwabara never backed down, not even in a career choice. A Kuwabara had dignity, honor, and loyalty. He would stick to his career choice like gum stuck to shoes. Well, no, maybe that wasn't a good simile, but it did not matter – he was a Kuwabara!

Well, one day he would be a lawyer, but the world was not looking so good. He had to put aside his career for the sake of saving the world.

"Kurama," Kuwabara decided to interrupt his friend's musing. "What are you thinking about?"

Kurama lifted his eyes from the ground and met Kuwabara's curious gaze. Giving Kuwabara an apologetic smile, Kurama set his cup down quietly.

"I apologize, Kuwabara. I came here to visit you," he fingered the rim of his cup, "not to sit and ponder."

"Nah, don't worry." Kuwabara waved a large hand at Kurama to dismiss the apology. "What's on your mind? You feeling all right?" he asked worriedly. "You and Urameshi seemed out of it since that fight a few weeks ago."

"I'm fine now and I assume Yusuke is, too." Kurama's eyes darkened as he thought about the fight in Tokyo. "Mamoru's unique ability to drain our energy damaged the flow of our energy that night. It seems it prolonged our recovery."

"Do you think Hiei was affected too?" wondered Kuwabara. He refilled his teacup. He really liked tea as long as there was sugar. His sister sometimes had a habit of forgetting to put out sugar. "Mamoru's that demon with the messed up eyes, right?" He grinned a little smugly, "the one I defeated?"

Kurama smiled. He knew Kuwabara would bring up his victory against Mamoru. Despite having come later, Kuwabara would boost his ego by bringing up Mamoru's final defeat. After many years of refraining from the use of his spirit energy, Kuwabara was eager to bring up his 'mad' skills. Kurama did not blame him. It was not as if Kuwabara was weak. In fact, Kuwabara was one of the strongest human psychics in the Human World. A trusted comrade that one could depend on when in need of help – whether it was against an entire army of demons.

"Yes," Kurama admitted to Kuwabara earlier question. "I would think Hiei was affected, but he's most likely recovered. The effects were tiring. I could hardly refrain from dozing off during the day."

"Yeah," Kuwabara sniggered, "Keiko got upset at Urameshi when he fell asleep in his food when Yukina and I came over for dinner" On a side note, he added, "they seemed to be doing fine, what with _everything_ that happened."

"I had dinner with them, too. I tried to convince Yusuke to rethink his decision about his resignation, but he stubbornly refused to consider the idea." Kurama glanced over at the window. "I respect Yusuke's decision, but I would feel more comfortable with Yusuke working with us. He's still allowing Hokushin to relay data, but Yusuke is needed."

Dropping a few sugar cubes into his tea, Kuwabara pondered Kurama's words. He stirred his tea slowly and watched the tiny cubes dissolve into the hot liquid.

"He's tired," Kuwabara remarked. He kept his eyes on his tea. "I know the feeling. I was settling in for a career as a lawyer. I'm marrying Yukina…" He bowed his head. "We're getting old. I know we're only in our mid-twenties, but sometimes I feel like I'm in my fifties."

Kurama stared pensively at Kuwabara and listened carefully to his words. Truthfully, Kurama felt the same, but _inside_, he was old.

"Keiko getting hurt scared him, too," continued Kuwabara. He glanced up at Kurama and grinned. "He proposed – you see the ring?"

Kurama nodded.

"We were all kind of getting used to living a relaxed life." Kuwabara could hear Yukina humming in the kitchen. "It took a long time for Yusuke to get used to living a peaceful life – you know how he was after that Sensui business. He stayed in Demon World for three years because of his love for kicking ass!" He leaned back in his chair. "Now that he's had a few years to wind down – he enjoys it. You know, Karen's really helped add to that, too." He chuckled as he remembered Yusuke's drunken state that night. "He said we were missing out and that having kids was fun. You get to pick on them. You get to order them around. When you fight with the missus, you have someone to buffer the fight. You even get to force them to watch TV with you. He said it was 'the next great adventure'." Kuwabara thought about the idea of kids and grinned sadly. "Sounds fun, huh?"

Silence enveloped the room and buzzed around the two young men. Closing his eyes, Kurama breathed in through his nose. He knew what Kuwabara was hinting at – the world was always going to be in danger and settling down was constantly getting pushed back.

"We're all tired," answered Kurama after a long moment.

"Even Hiei?" asked Kuwabara with a chuckle.

Nodding his head, Kurama lifted his teacup from the table. "Did you know that he asked Mukuro for an extended leave? It happened before his bond."

"Hiei," the tall man's eyes widened. "Are you sure we're talking about the same Hiei? The one who likes to glare and murmur threats – I was wondering why he was spending so much time here."

"Maybe," replied Kurama in amusement. Closing his eyes, he continued in a more serious tone. "He told me that fighting had become a bore. There's no one worth challenging – asked what the point was in fighting for nothing? He saw no reason to patrol the borders when it was obvious Mukuro had more than enough men for the job."

Sticking his lower lip out, Kuwabara looked up at the ceiling curiously. "Yeah, I guess those are good reasons. What do you think Hiei wanted to do on his extended leave?"

The corner of Kurama's mouth lifted up into a tiny smirk. "Oh, he probably knew you were growing more serious in your proposal to Yukina."

Kuwabara shifted uneasily and eyed the closed kitchen door where he could hear Yukina humming.

"He's not going to haunt me once I've married Yukina, is he?" whispered Kuwabara.

"I assume he will," murmured Kurama seriously, "if you're alive for him to haunt since he doesn't know that you've proposed." Kurama's eyes suddenly glittered and his next words made Kuwabara's ears turn red, "but you'll probably live… considering that Yukina proposed to you."

Kuwabara embarrassingly swiped for Kurama's teacup. _"Who told you?"_

Kurama laughed and leaned back in his chair to enjoy his tea. He didn't answer Kuwabara directly, but he hinted at the person with, "how's Shizuru?"

Kuwabara continued to glare, but sank back in his chair with a sigh. "She's really changed. The first couple of weeks were tough on her. She couldn't sleep well or eat well." He thought about her lack of appetite. "Yukina cooks with a lot of flavors and it made Shizuru sick because she was used to eating bland food for a while." Eyes darkening, Kuwabara eyed the table, "if I knew who had taken her," his large knuckles popped, "I'll kill them."

Hearing the venom laced within Kuwabara's words, Kurama looked away. He could hear Kuwabara's knuckles popping as he gripped his teacup.

"Well, we have our strong suspicions," remarked Kurama.

"Yeah, that Master you said Mamoru mentioned."

They didn't comment further on Master. Kurama did not think the teacup would hold up if they continued with the information from previous meetings.

Kuwabara lowered his voice and suddenly asked, "why are you really here, Kurama?"

"I wanted to ask if you would accompany me to Demon World." When Kuwabara nodded his head for Kurama to continue, he did so, "I want to visit some of the temples in Demon World. I did not get a chance to investigate them properly." He lifted his eyes and peered into Kuwabara's lax gaze, "I must warn you that they are dangerous. They're filled with mazes and traps."

"When do we leave?"

"Whenever we're ready," he answered. "Lena and Genkai were going to do the investigating, but they both want to spend the time training the priestesses." Kurama drained his cup. "Plus, Koenma's people have finally developed a pill that will allow you to withstand the tainted air of Demon World – remember the last time you went to Demon World?"

Kuwabara's face paled. "Ugh, I was sick for a week." Shaking his head, Kuwabara set his cup down. "I understand. I guess," he sagged his shoulders, "that means I should start training. I'm going to need some time to get back into shape. I haven't done anything in years," he grinned again, "except save you guys that night."

"We," corrected Kurama. "I'm a bit rusty as well."

"You seemed to do okay that night," stated Kuwabara. "All I did was sprint one mile and my side was aching."

Kurama decided to reveal his state that night to his friend. "Honestly, right after that fight, moving took great effort. I actually stayed until the meeting was over and engaged Koenma in more conversation. I was actually too sore to get up from that chair."

It was a remark of true friendship that Kuwabara did not laugh. "See, told you we were getting old."

* * *

I glanced at the clock and frowned. It was only three.

Standing in the middle of the kitchen, I searched for something to do. The kitchen was spotless, the floors gleaming from the pouring sunlight, and the stovetop was a sparkling white. Even the cupboard was well organized – the dishes stacked into distinct stacks. Closing the cupboard, I crossed over to the fridge and swiped a finger against the front door. It was spotless. There was no hint of dust anywhere.

I let my shoulders sag, not sure what to do.

Dragging my feet from the kitchen, I made my way to the main room. My eyes shifted from side to side, inspecting every corner. There was nothing. Even the books on the shelves were neatly lined up in alphabetical order. Yes, I had spent time alphabetizing each book – one after another. There were a lot of books, filling up several tiny shelves in the main room from top to bottom.

I picked out a book, put it back, and picked up another, seriously thought about reading it, but sighed, and set the book back in place. I had read a few. Most of them were poetry. I did not care much for poetry. In all honesty, I did not understand poetry. The Englishman that had lived here was a romanticizing scholar. I wished he had held an interest in mystery novels. I liked solving mysteries.

Checking the room one last time, I shuffled toward the door. Sliding the paper screen to the side, I ventured outside. The slanting roof that hung slightly over the porch enveloped the porch with shade from the sun. I sat on the porch steps.

The few weeks of living with Hiei had been a bit awkward, but bearable. Hiei was still rude. He didn't strike up conversations, asking about my day, or suddenly reveal his life goals. If he were to do so, I would probably ask him if he were sick. But there were times, little moments, when he would make the effort to say a decent sentence. I suspected that he did so in order to keep me sane, to keep me from asking too many questions, or to keep me from annoying the hell out of him. It was probably the last two choices.

And then there were times when he would berate me. It was not exactly conversing, even if it was the only time, he did say more than a sentence.

-Flashback-

"Man," I whispered, "not again."

I had overcooked dinner again. Surely, this was punishment for my attitude against Yusuke's cooking. If it was, then I take everything back.

Wrinkling my nose, I poked a wooden spoon into my stir-fry. The top portion of the vegetables were okay, I suppose (I think I saw an undefinable pale, green thing amongst them). Picking out some rice, I nibbled on the white grain. Well, the rice was a little hard, but edible. Disgruntled, I dug out some meat at the bottom. It took a bit of effort to chew.

"Why can't I get this right?" I tossed my spoon into the pan.

This was the fifth time I had overcooked our meals. Last time, I burnt the meal so bad that it was practically blackened mush! I peeked over at the pan. Well, at least there was no mush.

Sadly, this should have been a great meal.

The stir-fry had been going great. The vegetables had been a nice blend of colors against the fluffy rice. I had seasoned the beef according to Mei's instructions. I added the sauce correctly. It should have been delicious, damn it.

But this time, it was not entirely my fault.

How was I supposed to know it was going to rain?

I had set out some clothes to dry, because the dryer in the back room took forever to dry the clothes (it wasn't working well, but hey, we had a dryer). The dryer also tended to knock out the power, which annoyed Hiei, because he would have to go out and mess with the power box. He had not been too happy to mess with the power again after he received a nasty shock.

It had been a nice day. There were a few clouds. It was breezy, but the sun was out. With the sheets hanging, I decided to wait for them to dry by attempting the best meal ever. I was going to try Mei's Ultimate Stir-Fry!

So imagine my surprise when I heard a clap of thunder after I had checked on the condition of the stir-fry.

Rain was not falling yet and I had some time to bring in the sheets, but luck was not on my side. The wind was tearing through the sky and twisting the sheets around wildly. It took me a good fifteen minutes to wrestle the sheets down from the hanging line.

Now, my stir-fry was ruined.

Frowning deeply, I glanced at the clock and wondered when Hiei would be arriving. It was raining now and he was bound to be ending the day early.

Since we lived in the country and where away from civilization, Hiei had begun training again. He followed the same routine from the time at Genkai's temple. The schedule of his arrivals was easy to follow because he arrived at the exact time, every day. Most of the time, he merely ate lunch and dinner, but sometimes, if I was up early enough and he tolerated the wait, he would eat breakfast. I think he only made the effort because he did not want to waste the food… no matter how burnt.

_Well, there's nothing I can do about this,_ I thought angrily. Hiei was just going to have to tolerate this meal again. Besides, it wasn't my worst meal ever.

Hearing the front door slide open, I widened my eyes. Quickly, I scooped out two portions. There was nothing to hide, no mushy stuff –

I forgot about that green thing!

Before Hiei could enter the kitchen, I searched for the odd colored vegetable. If I could take it out, then the meal would be more edible tasting. But what if I had already served it with our plates? I glanced over at our portions. _Oh no,_ I worried silently.

"What's that smell?"

I jumped and the spoon went soaring in the air. Watching the spoon soar upward, I hurried to catch it before it could hit the floor. A hand shot over my shoulder and easily made the catch one handedly. Not wanting to meet his eyes, I swallowed and reached for the spoon he held over my shoulder.

Returning to the pan and plates, I was ready to begin searching again. However, I could feel him leaning over my shoulder. Instead, I pushed the pan away before he could see the contents. There was nothing wrong with it – but I didn't want to risk the chance that he would spot something odd in there.

"You didn't answer my question."

Taking a much-needed gulp of air, I grabbed the plates and spun around. He stepped back with a raised eyebrow. Arranging my face into one of innocence, I walked toward the table.

"I thought the rain smelled funny," I stated calmly, "I think there's a fire somewhere to the south. The wind must have carried it."

Setting the plates upon the table, I knelt onto the floor mat. Hiei remained standing next to the stove and continued to watch me. I made sure to breathe. Finally, Hiei took his seat across from me and picked up his chopsticks. Keeping my face neutral, I picked up my chopsticks and ignored his eyes.

Normally, we ate in silence, but this silence felt awkward. He was still watching me. Keeping my eyes glued to my plate, I took a quick bite. Seeing as how I took the first bite, he seemed to think that the meal was safe. He chewed his stir-fry slowly as if the mere act of eating took great effort (probably had a big beef strip).

_Coward,_ I thought.

After some minutes, everything seemed to be going just fine. I thought about making a comment on the new vendor in the village. All of the women in the market kept saying he had the best floral displays. I was thinking about buying some seeds. Maybe start a new hobby –

"What is this?"

I nearly jerked at his words, but remained cool. I took my time chewing (that beef was tough) before answering, "Mei's Ultimate Stir-Fry."

His voice deepened suspiciously, "but what did you do to it?"

His words came out as order instead of a question. "Celery," I swallowed nervously, "I added celery. I think it adds a nice color, texture, and –"

He leaned over the table and shoved his chopsticks under my nose. I blushed at the sight of the odd colored green vegetable – funny thing is, I never added celery. I don't know what vegetable that was…

"This is not celery."

"So, I may have overcooked it…"

"Again," he scoffed.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault," I threw my chopsticks on my plate, "I was doing just fine until it started thundering. If you would have allowed me to use the dryer –"

"Now it's my fault?" he seethed.

I ignored his statement. I leaned forward slightly and matched his glare. "You could comment nicely on the effort I put into these meals –"

"Like what –"

"Like the rice balls I made the other night!"

He leaned back and regarded me with a cool gaze, "your greatest asset, it seems."

"You jerk," I felt like throwing my chopsticks, "if you wanted a five star meal, then, then – go find someone else to put up with your attitude, you arrogant –"

"And you think I couldn't find someone else?"

I pointed toward the door, "go ahead!" Angered, I leaned up, "fine, I'll find someone else!"

"_Sit down_," he growled.

Automatically, I fell back on my knees. We both fumed silently while the rain slapped against the roof creating a dark atmosphere.

"Don't tell me you can't stomach it," I challenged under my breath.

His mouth set into a tight line and his eyes darkened dangerously. Meeting his gaze, I lifted my chin stubbornly. Raising his chopsticks, he stuck the horrid vegetable in his mouth. His jaw tightened as he chewed slowly.

Inside, I was laughing. This was revenge! Hiding a smug smile, I picked up my chopsticks and reached for a bite.

I paled.

There was the _thing_ in the middle of my plate.

"Eat," he ordered.

"That wasn't there," I whispered. I glared up at him. He used his demonic speed to put one of those there! That wasn't fair!

"Don't tell me you can't stomach it," he mocked icily.

Like any women, I defended my meal. I plopped the vegetable into my mouth in frustration. The moment I bit down, a sour substance filled my mouth. I wanted to spit out the vegetable. This was unsuitable and bitter! Who the hell would eat this? To spite me, he continued eating his meal with that annoying sneer.

"Not bad," he murmured with a smirk.

He just had to do it – comment on a meal that was not nice.

I couldn't take it anymore. I fled from the table and ran to the bathroom to spit out the vegetable.

-End of Flashback-

That horrible memory was a blow to my ego.

Resting my elbows upon my knees, I held my head in my hands and stared at the ground. I was not going to reminiscence on bad memories – especially ones where he was likely to read my mind and then make a smart remark about it.

Looking out into the surrounding trees, my face lit up. Maybe tomorrow I could go for a walk, take up my old routine, and explore the grounds. I beamed at the idea. I used to go walking all the time when Hiei would train. I thought there was some paper in the desk drawer of the guestroom – I could draw something.

I nodded to myself and stood up with gusto. With plans for tomorrow and nothing else to do, I decided to start on that dinner. There were still a handful of recipes, I had not tried, and I was determined to find my five star meals. I wasn't the greatest cook in the world, but if I kept practicing, the meals would get better. As long as I didn't overcook or burn anything else – I could live with that.

Turning to head back inside, I saw a flash of black. I paused curiously and eyed the ground. It was a huge, ass snake! I felt a shiver of disgust dance up my spine. Swallowing, I shuffled back and immediately regretted the small movement.

Sensing my movement, the snake raised its head and slithered toward me. I watched the creature's tongue flicker out to taste the air. I could see the narrow slits of its eyes. This snake knew I was scared of it.

I wasn't scared of bugs. I wasn't even scared of spiders. But a snake – I had only seen snakes in books and this was the closest I had ever been to a snake.

"I'm not scared," I tried to sound soothing and unafraid.

The snake slithered toward me.

I screamed.

Feeling adrenaline shoot up my veins, I sprinted across the floorboards of the porch. I would have slipped inside the house, but sliding the screen door open took time and the snake could attack me in those few precious seconds. I felt like I could hear the snake hissing in my ear. Rounding the corner of the porch, I glanced over my shoulder to see where the snake was when strong arms wrapped around me.

"What the hell are you screaming about?"

Whipping my head around, I met Hiei's hardened gaze. His eyes were flitting all over my face, searching for a sign as to why I was screaming. I felt one of his hands skim the length of my body. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but there was no time for this.

Pushing away from him, I pointed off into the distance. "There's a-a thing! It was chasing me, but I tried to stay," I inhaled shakily, "stay calm."

He glanced over my head, "I don't sense anything."

Grabbing his hand, I tugged him in the direction of the snake. When we neared the area I left the snake, I pointed up ahead. Our hands remained clasped together and he pulled me behind him.

"A snake?" grunted Hiei.

The snake was sitting in front of the door now and hissing at us. "Is it poisonous?"

He tugged away from my hand and approached the snake. Crouching down, he sat back on his heels and regarded the snake with a bored expression. Quickly, his hand shot forward and wrapped around the snake's neck. The snake hissed loudly, but Hiei calmly tilted the snake's head back and exposed the creature's fangs.

"That's not hurting him, is it?" I eyed the snake worriedly.

He ignored my question and said, "rat snake."

Hiei pitched the snake into the yard; I watched the snake flip gracefully in the air and land a few feet away. The snake seemed eager to get away and slithered down the driveway.

"Are rat snakes dangerous?"

"Not that one."

I wrinkled my nose and glanced around suspiciously. I felt like snakes were lurking all over the place. That particular rat snake may not have been poisonous, but a venomous snake could be lurking nearby. There was one waiting out there, right now, to bite someone. Well, it wasn't going to bite me!

"I'm not taking that walk," I whispered to myself.

"Where were you going?"

My eyes flashed over to Hiei. He was still looking out into the yard, but with his hands shoved into his pockets. He looked relaxed standing there at the top of the steps.

Ducking my eyes, I slid open the door. I wasn't going to babble about my ideas. Tomorrow, I could read a book. I sighed – but going for a walk sounded a great deal better than reading those poems.

Heading inside, I turned around to slide the screen shut, but Hiei entered and blocked the doorway. He reached behind him and slid the door shut without looking away from me.

"You're finished training?" I winced at how hopeful my voice sounded.

I was used to spending the day by myself. I did so all the time when Yusuke left for Demon World and Keiko went to work. But out here, I was still getting used to living this new life. Truthfully, I was a little lonely.

When he didn't answer, I automatically headed toward the kitchen.

"I'll take you tomorrow," he remarked in a low voice.

_Is he going to take me on a walk? _I asked silently.

He strode past me and headed toward the hallway. I was still astounded by the news of finally leaving the house. I watched him walk away, but he stopped.

"And yes," he said over his shoulder, "I've finished."

Uttering that statement, he left me standing in the middle of the room. A grin made its way onto my face and I walked toward the kitchen. I felt like preparing a new, decent dish.

* * *

Kenji eyed the huge set of stairs leading up to the doors of Tokyo's well-established library. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he dashed up the steps.

After searching Hakone's entire library, he had found nothing remotely concerning the kind of information he needed about priestesses or demons. What he mostly found were fairytales, which was fine, but not the kind he suspected they needed. The search for these rare oddities was taking a long time and led him to countless dead ends. However, he wasn't complaining. He enjoyed the search and was determined to solve the puzzle.

Striding down a row of bookshelves, Kenji sought out the history section. A small sign on the wall pointed the way and he followed with an eager grin. His long fingers traveled down the row of books as he read the various titles. He plucked a few books off the shelf, scanned the indexes, frowned, and put the books back. This method continued for a number of minutes.

Immersed in his search, he didn't hear the approaching footsteps.

There was a couple of promising books to read through and he flipped open a few pages. Finding an interesting section, he turned to head toward the librarian. Already engrossed in the book, he smacked into a solid body. He stumbled back from the collision and his books fell to the ground loudly.

He hurried to straighten his glasses, "I'm sorry – I should have been looking where I was going!" When his eyesight adjusted, he nearly screamed in horror. He was face-to-face with Karen's uncle, Kurama!

"There's no need. I was just as much at fault," began Kurama with a polite smile. He almost chuckled at how Kenji jerked away from his hand he had used to keep the boy from falling. "It's Mr. Moto, am I correct?" he asked casually.

Kenji was ready to bolt away, but summoned all his courage and remained rooted in place. He cleared his throat and attempted to appear casual, too. Kurama knew who he was – after all, Kenji did dent in his car, but they had never had an actual conversation alone. "Yeah, that's me," he laughed nervously, but didn't know why he was laughing. Forcing himself to stop, he apologized again for earlier, "sorry about that, Mr. Minamino."

"Oh," Kurama started to kneel down, "you dropped your books."

Kenji practically dived to the ground and scooped the books up into his arms. He cursed inwardly at how he was acting. He peeked sideways at Kurama, but if the man found his behavior suspicious, he didn't show it.

Swallowing, Kenji stood to his feet and discreetly turned the titles of the books away from Kurama. He needed to get his act together if he wanted to get through this without stirring any suspicions.

"I wasn't aware that school was still in session," questioned Kurama as he stared at all the history books on the shelves.

Kenji pushed up his glasses, "it's not – not for some time either, but I like history!" He was surprised at how honest the statement sounded. "I'm actually thinking about being a historian after school."

"I'm rather inclined toward history, myself," Kurama plucked up a book and perused the book with interest. Suddenly, he said, "I was actually the one to tutor Karen for the history part on her entrance exams, but I'm afraid she didn't fare well –"he paused and turned to Kenji with a sympathetic gaze, "I'm sorry – I know how hard you took the news about Karen's health."

Kenji was startled at how quickly the conversation had turned to Karen. He had actually hoped to have excused himself before Kurama could mention his friend. It was as if Kurama was deliberately bringing her up and now turning the tables to gauge his reactions.

"Yeah," murmured Kenji and he did sound sad, because he did miss his best friend. His shoulders sagged and he continued, "I ask about her all the time – just wish she would get better." Of course, the act could only last so long before he ruined it, "but I know she will get healthier if I just think positive."

_Damn! I sound retarded! Think positive, _he bit his tongue_, who says that?_

He was losing his act. It was as if Kurama was causing the air to tense around him. He could feel eyes on him, but when Kenji glanced up, the redhead had turned back to his book.

"She really wasn't great at history," the words were tearing out of Kenji, "she hates the dates and well, she hates reading the material all together, but you know that, don't you – Like you said, you tutored her and everything." He needed to leave now. He was babbling! "I'm the one that helps her with the history homework so I have to brush up on history while school's out," he laughed, "don't want to get rusty – that's why I'm here –"

"All the way in Tokyo?" interrupted Kurama smoothly.

"Yeah!" he cringed at his answer. He needed an explanation for why he was so far from Hakone. "I come here all the time –"

"Really," Kurama faced him, "I visit this library weekly. I'm sure Karen mentioned that I help teach at the University. I like to plan out my lessons here, but I don't remembering seeing you… ever."

Kenji's hazel eyes shifted to the side as he tried to assess his situation. "No, I've been here plenty of times. My father drops me off here when he has business to do –"

"I didn't see his car outside."

"It's around back."

"I parked in the back."

"No, that's where he'll be waiting. He had to make a deal – he's calling me when he's done."

"But you brought your bike in case?"

"He has a habit of overstaying his meetings. Sometimes, I have to go meet him there – and I should probably get going. It's late," he bowed his head and opened his book bag. "Again, Kurama, I'm sorry about your niece's illness." He turned away shakily and hurried down the aisle.

"So I'm Kurama?"

Kenji stiffened. _Shit._

"What did you say, Mr. Minamino?" he hurried to correct.

Leaning against the bookshelf, Kurama placed his hands in his pockets and regarded Kenji with a serious look. "Now, Kenji," it was astounding to hear how much the redhead's voice had changed from pleasant to a low murmur, "let's not keep up this charade."

_God dammit_, cursed Kenji. He knew he was going to screw this conversation up. He should have left long time ago. If only he could have kept his mouth shut.

Kenji stared at the ground, thinking hard for some reason to explain himself.

"You were very nervous when I arrived at the Urameshis house that night."

Kenji lifted his eyes and stared at Kurama. "Food makes me nervous."

"How is she?" asked Kurama.

Sighing, Kenji hung his head. "She's fine."

"Good. Do you mind telling me where they are?"

Kenji quickly scanned his mind for an answer. There was no way he was going to reveal their location, but he had already messed up. Unless Kurama had a way of extracting the information forcefully, he was not going to give away Karen's location. Bringing up his knowledge for geography, he searched for the farthest place he could remember.

"Sapporo."

"Wrong answer," said Kurama. Kenji looked up. He expected to see Kurama glaring at him, but the man was smiling kindly. "It's alright. I didn't expect you to tell me the truth the first time."

"Are you," Kenji felt trapped within the small, library aisle. He wished there were more people, but it was evening and the library would be closing. "Are you going to hurt me…?"

"No, nothing of the sort," answered Kurama gently, "but I need to know how much you know."

"I know… enough."

"Have you told anyone else?"

"Of course not!" he crossed his arms. "I wouldn't reveal anything."

Nodding his head, Kurama pushed away from the bookshelf. "So you know about Karen's predicament, don't you? Is that why you're here?" Kenji didn't answer. "You're doing research, because Hiei has not told Karen of what she is, am I right?"

Kenji swept a hand through his hair and mournfully looked at the bookshelves.

"I think we need to discuss this more thoroughly –"

"I'm not telling you where she is."

"Why?"

"Because you could be this traitor," answered Kenji in an obvious tone.

"Ah," Kurama grinned. "What if I told you that we found the traitor?"

"That's exactly what a traitor would say."

Kurama chuckled in amusement. This teen was stubbornly faithful. "And if I told you that I could prove I was not a traitor?"

"Another thing a traitor would say," replied Kenji disdainfully.

"What if I said that I have ways of extracting the information I needed without any further questions?"

Kenji paled.

"But I won't."

"W-why?" asked Kenji, repeating Kurama's earlier question.

"For one thing, it is not wise for me to use such a method on a human." Kurama glanced at the clock over Kenji's shoulder and took note of the time. "Another reason is that I could use your help. I would like to make a bargain."

Kenji's eyes cut over to Kurama. "What kind of bargain?"

"The same kind of help that you're giving Karen," explained Kurama quietly. "You two believed there was information out there – I agree. My employer thinks otherwise, but I'm wise enough to know better. Humans record events no matter how ancient. They've done so for centuries, even if it is in the form of myths and legends."

"Okay," mumbled Kenji after a long minute, "but what do I get out of this?"

"I will leave you alone concerning the issue of Karen's whereabouts."

Kenji almost sighed in relief.

"For now," finished Kurama.

"I should have guessed," grumbled Kenji with a scowl.

Smiling, Kurama regarded the clock again. Seeing that it was almost dinnertime, he glanced over at Kenji and saw the tall boy rubbing his stomach.

"How about I buy you dinner?"

Kenji gave Kurama an incredulous look and blushed uncomfortably. He did not swing that way!

Kurama's eyes cut to Kenji's face and he saw the boy's eyes widen in shock. Mentally rolling his eyes, Kurama brushed past the scrawny boy. Maybe he should have reworded his sentence – it did sound a bit awkward.

"It'll be a business dinner," he corrected. "You'll need to know everything I know if we are going to successfully work together."

At the mention of dinner, Kenji's stomach lurched painfully. He had not eaten all day. He could use a good meal. But should he completely trust Kurama?

"You're just going to have to trust me, Kenji." Kurama could see the uncertainty in the boy's eyes. Karen had a good friend here. "If I had wanted to harm you, in any way, I could have done so, regardless of the location – be it public or private."

_He does have a point,_ thought Kenji sadly. "You're trying to earn my trust."

"Let's just start with dinner, first."

If he was going to earn his trust, he might as well get to work. "Fine, but you'll have to drive me home, too," muttered Kenji with a lift of his chin.

"Did you honestly travel all this way on your bike?" asked Kurama, making mindless conversation.

Kenji strode toward the librarian to check out his books. "I took the train halfway and pedaled the rest of the way. I was putting in some training time – endurance training. Biking helps me stay fit for tennis."

When they both headed for the exit, Kenji asked Kurama another question.

"Can we have fried dumplings?"

Kurama chuckled.

* * *

"Hurry and open the door!"

I scowled at Hiei and rushed ahead to slide the door open. He stomped past me with his arms wrapped around a couple of shopping bags. In his hand, he also managed to carry my basket.

I would have helped him with the bags and the basket of food, but he refused my assistance. He said I was too clumsy to handle them – it was remark to what happened last week. I had been bringing the basket inside, but tripped over the steps and smashed the eggs. He was angry because he had to go back out and buy some more eggs with me. I don't know why he was making such a big deal about it. It's not like he fell on the eggs and messed up _his _shirt.

Today, I convinced Hiei to buy some clothes. We had only packed a few things and washing them repeatedly was annoying (especially since, I couldn't use that dryer).

Hiei did his own shopping in the small clothing store of Shirakawa-go's village. It only took him less than fifteen minutes to finish. I suspected that he merely yanked clothing items off the rack and tossed them to the cashier. Well, if they didn't fit him, it was not going to be my fault. My sewing skills were even worse than my cooking skills.

Since the air was hot and muggy, I hurried with my shopping, too. The store mostly had dresses, which seemed to be a popular clothing style for the women. Deciding to stick to the style of clothing here, I plucked a few dresses off the rack. I hardly paid attention to the colors. As long as the dresses fit, then I would buy them.

I did manage to find some denim jeans and shorts in the corner of the store. Grabbing a couple, I had made my way to the dressing room to try them on – I always tried on everything. All fitting comfortably, I hurried to the cash register. By the time I came back out, I was almost too hot to finish shopping for food. Of course, Hiei was even worse off – we spent a majority of the time glowering at each other. I was right about the vendors lowering prices for me. Hiei was great at intimidating.

"Wait!" I rushed over to Hiei.

He was fixing to set the basket upon the counter. Judging by his attitude, he was fixing to set the basket down hard. Before he could do such a thing, I pried the basket from his hand.

"You could have smashed the eggs." I murmured while setting the basket down gently.

Scowling, Hiei swiped a hand across his forehead. Apparently, fire demons were susceptible to heat like normal people.

"I'm not the one who smashed the eggs last week," he reminded me rudely.

"Do you have to keep bringing that up?" Wrinkling my nose in annoyance, I headed over to the fridge to put the eggs away. "I think I suffered enough from all the yolk on my shirt."

Grunting, Hiei turned away to put the other sacks in the bedroom. Shaking my head at his retreat, I ignored his attitude. For some reason, he had been extremely moody since leaving the village. _Oh well_. I needed to focus on preparing dinner.

Tying my apron around my waist, I pulled out my rice cooker. I decided on the ride home to try a rice dish with unagi. I had never eaten eel, but the unagi needed to be used. I was debating on how to prepare the sauce to glaze the eel. What the hell did eel taste like? I wasn't a picky eater, but this was not familiar territory for me. I know they ate eel in hot weather, like now, which was why I wanted to prepare this strange dish.

_Quit being American, Karen,_ I scolded.

Measuring out some rice, I placed it in a bowl and began running water over the grains. As soon as the rice was clean and the water was clear, I drained the water. Grabbing my rice cooker, I dumped the rice inside and added water into the pot. Setting the temperature, I placed my hands on my hips and smiled proudly.

"Piece of cake," I muttered proudly.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Frowning, I headed for the main room while wiping my hands on my apron. There was the sound of running water. Hiei was taking a shower. Good – maybe he would calm down. What on earth was he mad about anyways?

I slid the door open and smiled at the man outside. He was very tall and had a bushy mustache. I glanced at his attire. He was dressed in a black suit. Obviously, he was not from around here. It was scorching outside and he was strutting around in black. Is he insane?

His black eyes squinted from the sunlight, but his lips were stretched into a wide smile. His slicked back hair reminded me of Yusuke's hairstyle.

"Good evening, miss," he grinned crookedly and reached for my hand.

"Hello." I greeted politely. I went to shake his hand until he lifted my hand to his lips. I shifted uncomfortably as he kissed the back of my hand with a sly smile. "May I help you?" I asked awkwardly.

"You're a woman of beauty," he beamed. "Why I feel ten years younger just basking in your presence. I'm sure you have all the village men wrapped around your delicate finger!"

I pulled my hand back and stared up into his face. I wasn't sure how to reply to those comments. They seemed a little far stretched. But still, it was nice to get a compliment occasionally.

"Now, I have a catalog here that I think would interest you!"

_Ah, a traveling salesman, _I smiled. That explains the charming compliments. Well, it couldn't hurt to see what he was offering.

"What do you want?"

At those very words, the man paled within his dark suit.

I looked over my shoulder and stared over at Hiei. He was leaning against the doorframe beside me and glaring hatefully at the man. Narrowing my eyes at his rudeness, I turned back to the short man to murmur an apology.

"Oh! I apologize," exclaimed the man before I could get in a word. "I assumed that –"

"What do you want," repeated Hiei rudely.

My eyes widened in shock. What was up with him? Why was he being rude to this stranger? This man did not do anything to him. He was just doing his job.

"I-I'm a traveling salesman and if I could interest you in –"

"No," Hiei tilted his head, "leave."

The man stumbled down the two steps and bowed his head. He was murmuring a string of apologies under his breath. I felt sorry to see him leave in such a way.

"Wait!" I shouted at the man, but he was sprinting toward his car.

The sleek car roared to life and backed out of the driveway quickly. The man spun the car around and zoomed forward as if he were being pursued. The wheels kicked up a cloud of dust and the screeching tires were loud enough to scare off a handful of birds.

"Wow," I muttered while watching the birds squawk in the sky. They were circling above the trees. I turned toward Hiei, ready to ask him what his problem was to have acted so rudely. "What is wrong with you?"

Hiei closed his eyes and leaned back against the doorway more firmly. "He's a coward."

"Yeah," I felt like I had to stick up for that poor man, "well, you were rude."

His eyes snapped open, but I didn't bother to elaborate to him. Stomping past him, I headed for the kitchen to start on preparing the eel. His hand wrapped around my arm and he whirled me toward his scowling face.

"You shouldn't answer the door."

"What was I supposed to do?" I yanked my arm away and lifted my chin to meet his glare fully. "Hide behind the door and ask who it was, like some old woman?"

"Yes, you should act like an old woman," he raised his voice, stating the words as if it was an obvious notion, "at least they have more wisdom and wouldn't go around opening doors to strangers."

"Mei and Daisuke were strangers, but you didn't seem to have a problem leaving me alone with Mei the first day!" I countered hotly.

"Mei's an old woman," he leaned down and our faces were inches apart. "I'm sure even you can handle an old woman," he looked away in annoyance, "never mind, even she would overpower you. I'll have to rethink the time –"

"Don't you dare," I demanded. "She's my friend! She's all I –"

"_Don't interrupt me_ –"

"You interrupt me all the time, you –"

"– prancing around in front of that boy!"

I didn't catch the first of his sentence, because I was busy yelling obscenities at him. I had not been prancing for any boy! Our marriage was a sham, but damn it, I respected it. "What boy?" As soon as I said it, I remembered the boy from the market. "He was asking if I needed help with the rice bag! Seeing as you were still hounding that vendor, I thought I would be nice and have him go take it out to the truck, that way you wouldn't have to carry it!"

"Asking how," he spat out, "with your body!" He leaned back rudely and eyed me from top to bottom in a critical, yet dangerous way. "And how did that work out for you – not good, I assume."

Color splashed across my cheeks and I pushed him away with my hands. "It works just fine," I shouted in reference to my body. "In fact, don't bother coming with me anymore. He'll carry everything, listen to me, look at me once in a while, say more than a few sentences, tell me I did something good for once, and appreciate all the considerate things I do for him!"

This time he interrupted me with his body and roughly pushed past my shoulder. I whirled around and began following him. "Stop walking away from me!"

He turned quickly and closed the distance between us, "as if you can force me to do anything," his voice lowered dangerously as he uttered his next sentence, "you're the one who _can't_ walk away."

My eyes stung from his words. It was as if he were referring to the fact that I could not walk away from him, those guards, being this priestess, and everything else life hurled at me. He was right. He was right about everything. I could never walk away. I was completely dependent on him. Even if we were bonded, I'm sure by now he could go blurring far enough away. If he left, I would only get thrown into the arms of those guards. He had a choice. I had nothing.

I was close to crying. I could feel the painful lump rising within my throat. Needing to hide these tears, I pushed past him. But I should have known my escape from humiliation would not be that easy. His hands gripped the top of my upper arms. I ducked my eyes to avoid meeting his eyes.

"What's the matter, Karen?" he asked bitterly, "not happy anymore?"

"_I'm happy with you, is that so wrong?"_

He was using my words, from that night in the forest, to mock me, furthering my humiliation – to this naïve girl. When I didn't respond, he shook me once. I had nothing to say to him. I didn't know what to say. My unresponsiveness angered him and he shoved me away.

"Go ahead and run off with strangers," he said angrily, "it makes no difference to me."

"Why?" I murmured as he walked away. His footsteps paused and I lifted my eyes from the floor to stare at his back, "why do you want to destroy my happiness for you?"

He turned around slowly and stared into my eyes. They were narrowed curiously, but before he could stare too long there was a knock on the door. I welcomed the distraction and hurried off to the kitchen to compose myself. I could hear Mei's croaky voice from outside.

Entering the kitchen, I slid the screen shut behind me and breathed in deeply to ward off the oncoming tears. I was not going to cry for him. I was never going to cry for him.

To ease these emotions, I headed to the sink. Grabbing a cup, I filled it with water and took a drink to wash away the tight feeling in my throat. The cool water was pleasant and soothing.

"Karen, dear," greeted a soft, raspy voice. It was Mei. "I didn't mean to intrude, but I made this dessert for you two."

I forced a smile onto my face and turned to meet her weathered gaze, "no, it's fine! You're welcomed here anytime!" Before I knew it, I blurted out, "why don't you have dinner with us? I haven't seen the girls for a few days and this dessert is way too much for us."

She stared deeply into my eyes and I hoped she could not see any lingering sadness. After a long moment, she smiled. It as if she understood something. Placing her covered dish on the table, she approached me. With another smile, she grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"Alright, dear," she consented. "I'll send Daisuke to get the girls. You're right, this dessert would be better for us all. Give me a moment and I'll help you with dinner."

"I could use the help," I joked halfheartedly, "I'm not as talented as you are yet."

She chuckled dryly and headed outside to tell her son about dinner. I sagged against the counter and placed my cup against my forehead. I let the cold water in the cup cool me down.

This day had turned sour.

* * *

Dinner wasn't so bad. To top it off, my unagi dish came out perfect. It was the best meal I had ever created. Mei made a few side dishes, but the main course was my unagi dish. I felt a flutter of happiness at being able to create a meal deemed delicious.

I ignored Hiei all throughout dinner, which was hard considering we were seated next to one another. Our arms kept brushing and despite the anger, there was still the jolt of electricity and heat between us. Likewise, Hiei kept to himself and remained eating silently beside me.

Even with the tension between us, the atmosphere in the kitchen was light and warm. I was extremely relieved that I had invited the happy family for dinner.

Suki and Nukia kept up a constant chatter about a variety of topics.

Suki told me that I had been right about the reason why the two boys had been picking on her so much. At this, Daisuke lifted an eyebrow curiously and Mei grinned impishly.

Suki had told me of the boys that were constantly pulling on her hair and making fun of her dresses, seeming to try to outdo one another with the teasing. I told Suki that it sounded like they had a crush on her and were just trying to get her attention.

"I think Hiro is better at the jokes," she told me with a shy smile.

Nukia was bubbly as always. She told me that she went outside and started climbing trees. She told me that she collected these sparkly rocks she found and that she would bring me some to decorate the house. She told me about wanting to cut her hair ("they're growing up too fast," murmured Daisuke under his breath). She talked about her daily adventures with her doll, Mint.

Daisuke was a quiet, but kind man. I guessed that was why Hiei tolerated his company when he would come over. He was tall and handsome. He had good looks for a middle-aged man and the kindness of a happy father.

Mei had told me that Daisuke's wife had died of cancer two years ago. I was extremely sad to hear that he was a widower and even more so, because of the girls. However, Mei would not allow me to bask in sadness. She said that her daughter-in-law was in a place where pain no longer exists and happiness was where she slept now.

When dinner was over, I collected the dishes and carried them to the sink. Daisuke announced that it was late and that they should be heading home. Kind as always, he praised the dinner and said I had done the eel justice.

Hiei followed Daisuke outside to display proper manners by seeing him out. We had a charade to keep up after all.

"Can we talk about Hiro when I come over next time," Suki whispered in my ear, "secretly?"

I whispered back in her ear, "of course! Don't worry," I assured her with a grin, "it'll be just between us."

Not to be outdone, Nukia mimicked her sister by whispering in my ear, too. "How many rocks do you want?"

"Three," I whispered back just as seriously, "and I'll sit them by the window so they can sparkle in the sun."

With that, I hugged the girls and they went sprinting out of the kitchen.

"What was this about not being talented?" asked Mei playfully. "The unagi dish was wonderful."

I smiled in gratitude, "well, I had an excellent teacher."

Mei wrapped her warm arms around me and I was reminded of the time Keiko had hugged me. I stared over her shoulder sadly. "Everything is okay," she consoled quietly. "Husbands are fierce creatures."

After that, she kissed me on the cheek and left the kitchen. The kitchen door slid shut and moments later, the front door slid shut. The clicks echoed loudly within the house.

Ignoring the silence, I grabbed my apron from the hook and prepared to wash the dishes. They weren't going to wash themselves and I needed something to do.

The kitchen door slid open as I was placing the apron against my waist. Knowing who it was, I crossed over to the sink with my head down. My skin prickled with each step, making my fingers fumble with the apron's strings. Standing at the sink, I struggled to tie the apron in place. Before I could form a knot, a warm hand touched the middle of my back.

At the familiar touch, I stared tiredly at the dishes in the sink. I was exhausted. I didn't want to fight with him anymore. I never liked fighting.

Hiei's body heat engulfed my entire body. His hands gently pried my hands away from the strings. There was a soft tug on the strings as he tied the knot into place. Feeling his hands pause in tying, I knew he was finished with the knot, but he didn't remove his hands.

"I'm not handling my weakness well," he murmured quietly.

I fixed my eyes on a particular dirty dish, but my mind didn't comprehend the mess anymore. I was listening to his smooth voice. I remembered the conversation from the forest again.

One of his hands slid along my wrist and trailed slowly up my right arm. Heat followed the movement and I was entirely aware of the way my heart sped up. Up the hand trailed – my forearm, side of my elbow, upper arm, and then across my back to grasp my hair. His fingers wrapped around my hair and pulled it away to settle on my other shoulder, leaving my left shoulder bare.

I was frozen at his actions up until he placed his lips against the side of my exposed neck. His hot breath fanned against my skin and I closed my eyes. He placed another kiss, this one closer to my ear.

"I do not go back on my words," he whispered.

I recalled the last thing he had said that night.

_"But I'll just have to deal with that."_

He placed another kiss against my neck before releasing the strings. I turned around to stare at him but he was already heading out of the kitchen. Just like that, he was gone without another word.

Hearing the kitchen door slide shut, I let out a lungful of air and leaned back against the sink. I was at a complete loss for words.

I was confused by his actions. He had only ever been intimate with me when we needed to be the loving couple for our sham marriage. But tonight, he had acted intimate without an audience.

Thinking over his words, I realized that he was apologizing. Or it was as close to one as he would ever make. In a way, he was reassuring me that he was… trying.

I smiled dreamily at the kisses.

It was probably best not to make a big deal out of this. I didn't want to question our situation. I didn't want to mess up this strange relationship. Instead, I should just embrace what was to come.

Returning to the dishes, I reached for the dish soap.

However, someone should have warned me about men being the most confusing species ever.


	24. Preserve the Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any anime's characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four: Preserve the Memories

* * *

"Who's that from?"

Keiko looked down at the blue card in her hand. Opening the card, she stared at the hand printed message scrawled messily upon the tiny page. The message was short but held significant meaning between two strangers.

_Thank you… for my life._

A masculine hand waved in front of her face and she flinched in surprise. Blinking, she turned her eyes to the owner of the hand. Yusuke's dark orbs peered down at her curiously and she smiled softly.

"It's a thank you card," Keiko answered while placing the card in her purse, "from the boy that I saved that night. I was remembering to bring it in – can't have it sitting in the glove compartment."

Annoyance flickered in Yusuke's eyes and he turned away with tightened jaw. He jammed his key into the lock, twisted once, and kneed the door open. Without a word, he marched toward the kitchen to rid the grocery bags from his arms. Keiko's eyes followed the hurried withdrawal of her fiancé and she questioned his sudden attitude. Stepping inside, she shut the door with her good hand.

"Yusuke," she called out while setting her purse on the table stand, "what's wrong?"

When he didn't answer her, she slid the kitchen door open and padded inside quietly. His back was facing her as he busied himself with putting away the groceries. She watched silently while he pulled out a carton of milk from the bag and tossed the milk into the refrigerator harshly. She waited for him to speak, because she knew he could sense her presence by the wall.

Yusuke always seemed to grow upset whenever he eyed the cast around her right wrist. She had a week to go before she could remove the tiresome thing. If she could, she would cut the cast off herself, but that would anger Yusuke even more.

At least, he was sleeping normally now. Before, she had been worried (and annoyed) when he would conk out in the middle of dinner or doze off during one of their conversations. He had practically been dead weight in bed, too. He had hardly budged. There were a few times she would try desperately to free herself from his hold – she didn't think she would like to cuddle if he was ever weakened so greatly again.

She was happy that he was home and he seemed to want to assure her that he wanted to be home more often. He mentioned about wanting to pursue a career – find a stable job in Human World. This was astonishing news, but he had been serious about his decision. 'No more trips to Demon World', he had said and she never thought she would hear those words.

But she knew, in the end, that Yusuke was never meant to stay rooted in her world. Still, she was here to accept his choices or help him with choices too huge for him to handle. She would always be here for him.

"Is this about your decision to pursue a career?" asked Keiko while walking up to him. "I told you that I didn't mind about your decision – I said I would help you –"

"No! Dammit, Keiko, it's not about a job," he snapped angrily.

Spinning on his heels, he strode over to her angrily. His eyebrows were furrowed over narrowed eyes and his lips twisted into a scowl. He was pissed. She lifted her chin to meet his eyes without backing away. No matter how angry Yusuke was, she knew he would never hurt her.

"You want to know what's wrong with me," Yusuke replied bitterly, "why the hell would you go out of your way to save some delinquent kid, Keiko?" He leaned in hiss the words at her, "you could've of been killed, Keiko! Do you understand that? Did any of that process inside that," he tapped an imaginary spot near her temple, "little head of yours?"

Her lips parted in disbelief, "Yusuke, why are you bringing this up now? That incident happened a few weeks ago!"

Turning around, Yusuke threw his hands up into the air and stalked back over to the groceries. He began yanking food out of the bags again.

"Quit walking away," she demanded, "if you're angry then just let it out! Go on!"

Yusuke ignored her and tossed a couple of cans of vegetables inside the pantry. She winced as he slammed the cabinet door harder than necessary. She really hoped he didn't break her cabinets.

She crossed her arms and glared at his back. She was going to get to the bottom of this because she was tired of him shooting annoyed glances at her cast, the world, and anyone that was generally happy. He wasn't the only one suffering. She lost Karen, too. She was feeling the tension between his comrades, too. She knew the stress the world placed on his shoulders, too. She suffered when he suffered.

"Fine, not going to talk? Well, let's see," began Keiko. "Yes, I could have been killed," she paced behind Yusuke while he slammed something into another cabinet. She was surprised he remembered where everything went. "But did you expect me to stay out of the way and watch as that boy was crushed to death? Did you want me to call for help like some kind of damsel?" He cursed, but she continued, "I'm sorry, Yusuke, but I'm not that kind of woman!"

"Yes," Yusuke retorted hotly, "yes, I did expect you to stay out of the way! He was just some kid."

"Y-Yusuke!" she spluttered. She couldn't believe what he was saying. "What the hell is a matter with you?" It was serious now if she was resorting to curse words. "Just some kid?" she repeated. "Isn't that how it started with you? You saved a kid, too! You fight all the time in those tournaments! I never held you back or called you out on those, Yusuke!"

Turning, Yusuke met her eyes and glared. "That's bullshit – every time I come back you're in shock, crying, begging –"

"I was a naïve girl back then," she countered, "I loved you too much to lose you!" Marching up to Yusuke, she hardened her eyes, "but I've lost you plenty of times, even to death! So believe me when I say I'm strong enough to let you go!" She pointed at the kitchen door, "go ahead! Go! Leave now and save the damn world, Yusuke! Just know that if you don't come back, I'm going to drag you from the pits of hell and personally beat the…" she paused and breathed, "Yusuke?"

She had been too busy ranting to notice that Yusuke had sunk down to the ground during her speech and was leaning back against the counter drawers. He had his forearms resting atop his knees and was staring at the floor. His eyes were dull – no longer shining with anger, but with something akin to hopelessness.

"Yusuke?" she asked in a softer voice.

When he didn't answer, Keiko sat down on the floor and curled her legs beneath her body. Scooting closer to him, she rested beside him. The kitchen was silent save for the clock ticking on the wall. She waited for him to speak. She waited for his words.

"I don't know what to do anymore," his voice was barely audible, "I knew once. I kept fighting, trying to be stronger than everyone," he shook his head, "because I had this stupid idea that I had to challenge them just to know who was more powerful. That was fine. I knew myself then."

She pressed against his side and rested her head on his shoulder. She placed a hand on his tanned arm and traced one of his scars.

"I can't leave from it, Keiko. There is always going to be some kind of evil lurking about, someone who thinks they can destroy everything. It never ends, do you understand? And this time, this time, I feel like it's bad. I feel like this time we're in over our heads and something bad is going to happen us." Yusuke closed his eyes, "I don't think I'll be able to save us this time."

"You can't save everyone. It's just not possible," she whispered. "You can't be everyone's hero, Yusuke."

"Isn't that what everyone expects? Good, old Yusuke to the rescue with his unplanned strategies –like Hiei used to say, I'm a save the day kind of guy." He laughed weakly. "He hates people like that, you know?"

Shaking her head, Keiko lifted her hands and placed them on his cheeks, turning his face toward her.

"No," she answered to his earlier question. She placed her hands on his cheeks and turned his face toward her, "they just expect a friend."

Exhaling loudly, Yusuke stared at her softly, "what do I do now?"

"Be yourself."

* * *

"Hiei…?"

"_What?"_

I winced at the sound of his impatient tone. One would think after living alone with him for over a month that I would be immune to his impatient tone. This was not case – actually, it depends on the situation.

Currently, Hiei was attempting to fix the sink, which had a leak somewhere along the pipes. Earlier, as I was washing the lunch dishes, water began pooling around my feet. I thought I had scrubbed a bit hard, splashed too much water or something, but after cleaning it up, the water continued to trickle onto the floor. I had been glaring at the puddle when Hiei came storming into the kitchen, demanding what was taking me so long (we were supposed to go walking) – which is to say, he had not been too happy to see all the water.

His head was hidden from view beneath the sink and once again, he was shirtless. It was necessary. His shirt had been soaked through when he had slipped under the sink to investigate the pipes. After he quieted the flow of water, I went around mopping the floor. Well, at least the floor would be clean.

However, he seemed to be having a hard time with the little leak. Stubborn as he was, Hiei wasn't going to stop until the leak was gone – it was taking a while. He had already been messing with the pipes for over an hour now and the water was constantly dripping with a 'ping' sound.

It wasn't fair. Hiei was perfect at everything. I would have never thought he was a handy man, but he seemed to be able to fiddle with anything and correctly fix them. He could patch up roofs, fix dryers, effectively mess with the truck, and was now handling the sink.

"_Maybe_," I stressed the word 'maybe', "you should take a break."

Personally, I thought we should stick a bucket under there or call Daisuke. Daisuke was extremely handy with tools, too. He might be able to figure out –

"We are not asking Daisuke for help," he growled from beneath the sink.

"Fine," I mumbled while fiddling with a bolt in the toolbox, "but you could always shove a bucket under there – eventually, all sinks leak." It was true. I didn't mind a leaky sink.

Hiei ignored me and I went back to examining the toolbox he had found in one of the storage boxes. It was filled to the brim with odd-looking gizmos. The only tool I recognized was a hammer, screwdrivers, and nails. That was it. If there were ever a time I would need to fix something that require the use of other tools, I would be doomed.

"Karen."

I glanced up at the sound of my name. A moment later and his hand shot out to hand me a heavy tool. I stared at it, trying to recognize what the tool was called. When I didn't take it right away, he tapped it against my knee in annoyance. Taking the device, I dumped it back into the black toolbox, uncaring where it landed. The tools were all unorganized anyways.

"Hand me that screwdriver," he demanded while holding his hand out.

Staring at the tools in the box, I spotted three screwdrivers. There were all different sizes and I wondered which one he needed. Shrugging, I plopped the largest screwdriver into his outstretched hand.

His hand disappeared with the tool but then reappeared a second later. "Not this one, the medium one."

Without looking, I reached for one of the other screwdrivers while taking the tool back. Exchanging the tools, I handed him the other screwdriver.

Growling, Hiei held the tool back out to me, "the other one."

Grabbing blindly for the last screwdriver, I took the tool away from him again and dropped the last screwdriver into his hand.

"_Karen_," he muttered darkly, "this isn't even a screwdriver."

"Oh."

Clearing my throat, I quickly handed him the right tool. I don't know what I handed him, but the tool had odd contraptions around the handle. I messed with the handle, but accidently broke off the bolt attached to one of the springs. Darting a quick look, I hoped he hadn't heard the bolt rupture. Quickly, I shoved the tool to the bottom of the box. This might not be our box of tools, but I don't think he would appreciate it if I had destroyed one of the devices.

There was a sudden squeak and Hiei cursed. Curious, I leaned over his legs and braced my hands on the floor to hold myself up. There was another curse, this time louder, and without warning, cold water shot forth. I screamed at the abrupt rush of water and flung back against the kitchen drawers to escape the onslaught.

Safe now, I grimaced at the wet feeling of my shirt. Standing, I searched the kitchen for one of the towels I brought. Once I spotted it, I had to avoid the stream of water still shooting out like a busted carnival game. There was one last squeak and the water disappeared.

Carefully, I stepped around the puddle of water and sank to my knees beside Hiei's legs. Before I could ask what happened, Hiei slid out from beneath the sink and sat up. Water dripped from his face, sliding down his cheeks and falling into his lap. He was extremely drenched. The water was pouring from his soaked hair and the normally spiky strands drooped in a sad way.

It was with great effort that I managed not to burst out into series of giggles. I had never seen him so utterly sodden. But, I probably looked a mess, too. I could feel some of my hair plastered to my forehead and cheeks. I leaned forward to wipe his face, but his eyes were darkening in a silent message of 'laugh and I'll hurt you'.

"Told you," I murmured playfully, "you should have taken a break."

When his scowl deepened, I couldn't help it anymore. I honestly tried, but I couldn't help the mirthful laughter from escaping my mouth. I laughed so hard that my stomach muscles began protesting the effort to heave out the giggles. Tears were starting to appear at the corner of my eyes.

"Sorry," I apologized amid a few last giggles, "but – I mean, your poor hair."

"Are you done?" he asked with an annoyed glower.

Too exhausted from all the laughing, I merely nodded at his question with a grin. When I only continued to smile, Hiei yanked the towel out of my hand. Thinking he was going to wipe his face, I started to move away when he suddenly leaned forward. He pressed the towel to my cheek and gently brushed away the water.

"Fool," he grumbled.

I waited until he was finish drying my face before commenting on the mess, "yeah, but look at all the water."

Hiei shrugged and wrapped the towel around his neck, trying to soak up the water dripping onto his shoulders from his hair. "Not my problem."

Narrowing my eyes, I crossed my arms. "Fine, but don't complain to me when you don't get dinner!"

"I'm sure I'll live longer, especially if you're deciding to make stir –"

"Don't you dare," I placed a finger against his naked chest, "finish that."

Since the stir-fry incident, we had never brought up that horrid night. I expected him to mention it countless times, but maybe he did have a heart and was sparing my feelings. Or so I thought. I didn't miss the little smirks every time he took a bite of my now _delicious_ meals – well, there was still a lousy meal now and then. I was getting better!

Smirking, he swatted away my finger. I was about to tell him that just for that, I was going to make stir-fry and let's see if he can't stomach it this time –

His gripped the sides of my head and jerked my face up. Kissing me roughly, I immediately reached for the ends of the towel around his neck. I was lost in the feeling of his mouth, even more so, when he bit down on my lower lip. Automatically, my lips parted and his tongue swept into my mouth in a slow, sensual way. There was a guttural growl when a moan tore from my throat and echoed into his mouth.

When he finally pulled away, I was gasping for air. I didn't even stop him when he stood and headed toward the kitchen door. I watched him go with a dazed expression.

"And don't touch those tools," he ordered over his shoulder. "I don't need anything else breaking."

_Damn it_, I thought angrily. _How did he know?_

"I didn't know it was going to break!" I yelled in my defense but he kept walking.

Once he was gone, I scowled at all the water on the floor. Grabbing the mop, I prepared to dry the floors again. I was sorely tempted to knock over the tools, but decided against it.

"Men," I huffed.

* * *

Lena and Genkai circled together around the various priestesses sparring. Two months of training were having the desired effects on these once confused priestesses.

Genkai and Lena both shared the physical training among the priestesses, working together to strengthen the women and grinning secretly at the frustrations some of the priestesses showed them. No one ever said that teachers and students would always get along. Students would always come to hate a teacher at one point. It was inevitable when training.

A majority of the women hated Genkai's conditioning methods and Lena could hardly blame them. She knew her friend had harsh methods of increasing one's stamina and endurance. Lena would often sit up high in the trees and watch the women miles of running, which increased every week. After that, they would have to run up the startling amount of stairs leading up to the temple. And that was only the conditioning part.

Lena wouldn't want to have to run through all that. She had done her share of brutal training when she was younger, thank you.

In addition to helping Genkai with the physical training, Lena handled the mental training. It always amused Lena whenever the priestesses would think mental training would be easier than other training. That was not the case. If anything, Lena could cause the deepest amount of pain by breaking through mind barriers. She had learned to do so, in order to help train Tamara, when her sister's mentor had been away. She hadn't used such a method on any priestesses yet – it was the final test.

Strengthening minds was easy, if one is allowed to sit and meditate quietly – but then how would one learn the necessary concentration? Lena enjoyed finding ways to disrupt any priestesses' mental concentration. One priestess was really bothered by the soft popping sound one makes when pursing their lips. Another priestess hated when Lena would tell an odd story. And every time she did such an odd thing, Lena would be faced with curious looks. They didn't think she could be so utterly random. Well, she wasn't. She was only doing her best to test their concentration until it was time to begin the brutal part of mind strengthening – something she herself was not looking forward to doing. The women were growing on her.

"Valon's improving," commented Genkai with a nod of her head.

Lena eyed the young woman with a bland expression. "Yes, but she still needs work on her speed."

Genkai grunted and rolled her eyes. "She's stubborn – complains the most about the stairs."

"That would not be because of you running beside her while running backwards, yes?"

Genkai chuckled and continued observing the women.

Valon was the priestess deemed the strongest. She was from the Wyoming of the United States and had an attitude to boot. She was improving greatly and able to conjure great amounts of energy to shoot out in a blast. She was cocky and arrogant, reminding Lena of herself when she was much younger. Valon also had the crudest language Lena had ever been faced with – that girl could say some rather colorful words when angered. At twenty years old, Lena would have thought Valon would be above such behavior. Genkai told her that women were different in this time of age.

Amber was another strong priestess from the same country as Valon. Lena watched as the woman twirled a long pole with a spear on the end. She could handle the weapon with ease – any weapon, really. She was fast and accurate against her opponents. In fact, she was quite a match against Valon. Unlike Valon, Amber was in her mid-thirties and kind hearted. Amber's inspiration for getting stronger was her two daughters back home – she thrived on improving for them. She did not want the world to darken with evil while her daughters still lived in it.

Vanessa, or Nessa, as she preferred, was the only priestess to effectively prove a challenge against Lena when it came to mental training. Lena knew the young Russian would be trouble. For the first few weeks, Lena remained quietly observing Nessa during the sessions. Nessa had been extremely unaware of all else when meditating – until, one day, when Lena had figured out what the young woman could not stand.

It was more like a phobia. Lena hadn't wanted to do it, but concentration needed to be tested. One would never learn any other way. Lena had placed non-venomous spiders upon the girl while she was meditating. When Nessa finally noticed the spiders, she had been too focused on the spiders and training was the least on her mind. Sad to say, Lena had to force her to continue meditating.

But the time was coming close when training for both parts would be increasing. Genkai was already ordering the SDF guards that took to protecting the temple to start fighting at almost full strength. Lena was going to have to step up her game soon, too.

"Please separate with another SDF guard," announced Lena.

"We need more women guards," grumbled Genkai when they stopped walking. "Some of these men can't dish out a hit hard enough against some of these women. They can't learn to properly fight, if they are not able to take an effective hit."

"I agree, but we have enough guards as it is." Lena eyed a pair of men, "I, for one, do not like these guards. Some of them are distrusting – way too cocky, as if this is mere babysitting."

"Koenma is trying to fix that. SDF does not like following these new orders and they especially hate working alongside Koenma's SWAT team." Genkai calmly placed her hands behind her back. "There's tension among us and them."

"Tension –"

"Hey, when are we going to see ya'll fight," yelled a southern accent.

Both women looked up and stared at Valon. She was looking at them with a scowl. The day was hot and the young priestess was sweating in the sun.

"Is there a problem, brat?" asked Genkai with a raised eyebrow.

"I was just thinking that we're doing all this training under ya'll and we have yet to see you fight." Valon crossed her arms. "It doesn't seem fair to me." She glanced over at them, "… maybe you can't fight."

"Valon, this is not wise," warned Mayalu, of African origin, to the younger woman. Speed was her gift and she was the only one able to outrun Genkai, Lena, and nearly every guard. "To challenge our teachers like this is disrespectful."

Valon twisted her communication ring around her finger. "Yeah, I know, but I just want to see what they got. C'mon," Valon looked out at her fellow sisters, "aren't you curious?"

"I'm not teaching the brat. It's too hot," complained Genkai in a cranky voice. "You do it."

Lena sighed. "We will not have to do anything. She will give up if we ignore her."

Both teachers masked their faces and turned to admire another part of the training grounds. Already the priestesses were turning to regard them with curious glances, wondering if they would accept their sister's challenge. Lena and Genkai feigned ignorance, pretending to talk of important matters, but merely commenting on the weather being too hot for their age, what this student said to them, and my, isn't funny how they always expect you to be serious?

"I'm talking to y-o-u," sang Valon childishly. A few of the older priestesses chuckled and shook their heads. One younger priestess, age nine, asked what was so funny.

"She's not giving up," stated Genkai in a bored tone.

"I'm too old for this," Lena looked away calmly.

"They know I can fight," explained Genkai. "I've hit enough of them over the heads to prove myself. You, on the other hand, have shown yourself as a complete princess," Genkai laughed at the scowl Lena gave her. Both women knew Lena was anything but a princess. In fact, she made princesses' wet themselves with mere words – but that was long ago. She was changing. "Go on, shut up the brat and let's go drink tea. I'm tired of being out here."

Sighing again, Lena smoothed out her dress. Genkai could be so cranky, sometimes. "Fine," Lena relented, "but you better be ready to heal my knee."

Genkai settled onto a nearby boulder and watched her friend elegantly walk into the middle of the clearing. Genkai could chuckled when she heard Valon say 'she's gonna fight me in a dress'. Any teacher could fight in anything. Naked, if they had to. Genkai shuddered at that thought. She was not about to go running around displaying her aged goods.

"Shall I strike first," asked Lena calmly when Valon continued to observe her with a raised eyebrow, "or should I wait for you to make a move?"

Valon bristled at the serenity of Lena's voice. Genkai could understand. Valon seemed to hate that their teachers could act so calmly and be so clean after an entire afternoon of training. Genkai suspected Lena annoyed Valon more, because Lena appeared younger than the priestess did. Genkai could just imagine the thoughts flitting about in Valon's head – it was probably somewhere along the lines of 'I'm going to mess up that white dress of hers', 'I'll show that pansy', and 'time to kick a teacher's ass'.

Valon made the first move and Genkai scowled. _Predictable_, she thought. Valon fired off her energy blast with all the cockiness of a young fighter. The blast was fast. It whistled through the air and sailed toward Lena who remained unmoving. There were audible gasps, but Genkai didn't worry. At the last possible second, Lena stepped to the side. If they all thought that was fast, Genkai was going to have to force the guards to train at full capacity against her students.

To aggravate the bold student, Lena blurred away from her spot and reappeared behind the unsuspecting priestess.

"Predictable," replied Lena softly. Valon and a handful of women gave startled shrieks. "Perhaps, a plan would be better for your next attack?" Lena smiled and stepped away from Valon, "merely a suggestion, of course."

Valon whirled around with an open mouth, "how'd you move so fast – and in that dress!" Angrily, Valon pointed at the demolished tree across the clearing. "No way, my shot was direct!" Turning back to Lena, she backed away shakily. "I didn't even see you move."

"Your shot was direct," agreed Lena. She ignored the young woman's other statements, especially the one about her dress. She liked this yukata. It was white and simple. "However, your speed is hardly up to par. If I had wanted to, I could end this challenge before you had time to draw your next breath." She flashed a kind smile, "but I think we're bonding!"

Valon seemed flabbergasted at the change of expressions on her teacher's face. Closing her mouth, Valon hardened her eyes and charge forward with a well-timed punch. She would show Lena what bonding entailed.

Genkai watched through amused eyes as Valon punched and kicked up a storm toward Lena. Her friend was dodging with ease and Valon was growing redder with each second. Genkai found the whole fight to be amusing. She remembered fondly of the time she had trained her most prestigious student, Yusuke, and how cocky he was to show his strength. Such a long time ago those days were.

Pitying Valon, and wanting to annoy her friend, Genkai yelled, "brat, aim for her left knee. It's her weak spot!"

Lena shot her dirt look with the message 'traitor' and Genkai shrugged.

Maybe Lena finally had enough of the poor spar or maybe the sun was finally getting on Lena's nerves, but when Valon performed a series of moves to strike at Lena's knee, the wise woman showed no mercy in retaliation. She blocked Valon's kick and gripped the girl's calf one handedly. Displaying surprising strength, Lena spun and tossed Valon against the nearest tree, as if she were a mere doll.

It was a whole half hour before Valon decided to summit to defeat – which only happened because Valon passed out after Lena delivered a jab into her abdomen. When it was done, the teachers' decided to end today's training early. Yes, sometimes they could be nice.

Heading back to the temple, Lena glared down at her short friend. Genkai was chuckling at the slight limp in Lena's left leg. Valon had not hit her knee directly, but she forced Lena to put a constant amount of weight on the old injury during the last half of the spar.

"Be quiet," muttered Lena.

Genkai laughed harder.

* * *

I swept a hand across my brow. Sitting at the base of a tree, I thought the tree's leaves would provide a pleasant shade, but the air was too humid. Even breathing took great effort to accomplish.

This had to be the hottest day ever.

But that's what I get for wanting to accompany Hiei to his training grounds. I didn't regret the decision. I could withstand heat. It was either sit at the house and be alone, or doodle away in the presence of a silent demon.

Last month had been hot, but this month beat out last month by a long shot. My first two months of living in Shirakawa-go were giving me a nice tan. I liked Hiei's tan better. His skin was bronzing quite nicely. I think if I accompanied him two more times, then I could rival his tan. Of course, to do that, I would have to go shirtless. So, just my legs would have to be enough of a challenge.

The light fabric of my dress wasn't enough to keep me cool against the heat. The dress stuck to me like a second skin – a forced leotard. My ponytail felt heavy, but there was no way I was going to let my hair down. If I were to do that, the strands would end up sticking to me.

"What is that?"

Hiei crouched beside me and I stared at him. Sitting back on his heels, he pointed at my drawing with a tilt of his head. While waiting for me to answer, he grabbed my half-finished water bottle and unscrewed the cap. I was always fascinated with the way he drank water, especially when he seemed to drain the liquid in a manly way. I watched as he tilted the bottle back and finished off my water in a few gulps.

"Are you taking a break," I asked.

Screwing the cap back on, Hiei dropped it back on the ground and stretched out beside me. He leaned back against the tree and his warm arm brushed against mine. Turning his head, he glanced down at my lap.

"You didn't answer my question."

I stared down at my lap and smoothed a hand over my drawing. Admiring my work, I went back to scratching into the paper, "it's a worm."

"Why the hell would you draw a worm?"

_Good question,_ I thought. I was actually tired of drawing trees, grass, flowers, and birds. I had enough drawings of nature to last a lifetime – maybe not. I was exaggerating. I liked drawing nature and the occasional bird, but I wanted to sketch something different today.

This worm was really a caterpillar, but I had always called them worms. I had spotted the worm crawling away on a leaf and had sketched the image while it had been feasting away. I had even drawn the spots, fuzzy hair, and many legs. I liked it.

Meeting his gaze, I saw the raised eyebrow and pointed stare. "What's wrong?"

"It's a worm." Hiei stated flatly in regards to my drawing.

"Well, a caterpillar," I corrected. "I like calling them worms – see, look, this one doesn't have as many segments as a worm."

He scoffed and looked away to observe the clearing around us. "I bought you that and you fill it with bugs."

"No, I have plenty of other things," I mutter while flipping through my sketchbook. He had only bought the sketchbook, because he was tired of having to retrieve the loose pieces of paper the occasional wind would whip away from me. "And I am entitled to draw whatever I want, unless this displeases you, oh-mighty-one."

"It does."

Rolling my eyes, I slipped my pencil in the spiral and closed the sketchbook. Placing a hand on the ground, I readied myself to stand, but Hiei touched my knee.

"Where are you going?" he asked without looking away from the clearing.

"To the house," I answered honestly. Where else was I going to go?

"I'm too tired to walk you back."

I almost snorted at the statement, but answered blandly, "Hiei, you're never tired."

He turned to face me and pressed down on my knee. "Sit."

Sitting back against the tree with a frown, I took my pencil back out, "fine, I guess I can touch up my worm – I mean, caterpillar."

We didn't say anything else. He remained resting beside me and I shaded my worm-caterpillar. There really wasn't much else to do with the drawing. I had already finished most of the details.

When I was done, I flipped back through the pages and admired my earlier drawings. There was a sparrow perched on a branch that I had drawn when I had been bird watching from within the house. I had a dozen drawings of various trees. I had a picture of one of Nukia's rocks sitting by the window. I flipped a page. There were some wildflowers. Oddly enough, I had even captured a fly on a windowpane. I forgot about that insect – probably should rip that out before Hiei makes fun of it.

A sudden weight fell against me and I glanced over curiously. Hiei was leaning against me with his arms crossed and eyes closed. I was going to ignore him, but the heat of his body added to the heat already beaming down on us. I rolled a shoulder to ward him off, but he didn't budge. Instead, he leaned more heavily against me.

"No, it's hot." I turned awkwardly and tried pushing against him.

One of his hands knocked away my sketchbook and I gasped in alarm. _My_ _sketchbook_, I thought annoyingly. I didn't have time to scold him, because he was pushing me onto the ground. He pressed his weight into me and halted my movements. His lips crashed against mine and all the air in my lungs left in an abrupt whoosh.

When I couldn't breathe, I turned my head away and gasped for air. His lips trailed along my jaw line hungrily. His breath was hot as he kissed down to my neck. I moaned as heat pooled low in my stomach, but it was too hot to make-out. I could hardly breathe.

"No," I turned away again when his mouth sought out another kiss. My bangs were plastered to the sides of my face. "It's hot," I complained through a soft moan.

His answer was to kiss me anyways, taking advantage of my parted lips. I twisted the fabric of his shirt with my hands, unsure if I wanted to push him away or pull him in. He made the decision for me by grabbing my wrists and pinning them to the ground. I stared dazedly up at the tree as he attacked my neck again.

Sunlight scorched through the leaves above and hit my face in full force. I was again aware of the hot grass beneath us. My dress burned. My skin burned. The air was heavy to inhale. He was burning me up in this fiery atmosphere.

"I have to start on dinner," I tried again.

I did need to start on dinner. We had both forgone lunch, because Hiei was busy training and the heat had been unbearable for me to think about food. I was hungry now. I had been hungry when sketching that caterpillar while the grub ate the leaf. It was fast approaching dinner and I needed to prepare dinner if we were to eat within a reasonable amount of time – which, based on how hungry I was, needed to be as soon as possible.

Pushing up against his body, I tried to work my wrists free from his grasp. He gave a light growl and nipped at my neck. Gasping, I gave one last protest, "you're heavy."

This time, there was a low chuckle against my neck. I would have questioned the laugh from him, but one never questions Hiei's rare moments. The dry laugh was dark and derisive, as if he didn't spend a lot of time laughing, and he most likely did not spend the time doing such a thing. I committed his laugh to memory, because he may never do such a thing again.

His laugh ended shortly and he remained on top of me. I was panting heavily while admiring the way the slivers of sky peeked in through the countless green leaves. I watched a bird take flight from up in the branches. I was still watching the bird when he placed a few last soft kisses against my neck.

"It really is hot out here," I stated after a moment.

"Obviously," he muttered against my neck, "you impatient little fool."

"I beg to differ," I countered.

Finally, he rolled off me and I stood shakily. I dusted off the back of my dress, but there was only a bit of grass stuck to it. Hopefully, no grass stains. Snatching up my sketchbook, I headed toward the trail. Hiei fell into step beside me in a calm manner. I was still reeling from the exertion of his abrupt behavior.

There were a thousand times that I didn't understand his behavior. I doubt I would ever understand his actions. I never questioned the kisses. I never questioned the priestess business. I never questioned the guards looking for me. I never questioned the little moments between us. I simply accepted him and life. It was better that way.

He was still silent. He still glared. He scoffed at me more times than I could remember. But there were times when he would answer some of my questions, talk to me every now and then, ask his own questions, and sometimes, even allow me to be human toward him.

Even though it was hot and humid, I shuffled closer to his side and reached for his hand. I waited for him to tense or jerk away, but he only shortened his stride to match my pace. His fingers curled gently around my hand. This small act warmed my heart.

We were an odd couple.

Smiling, I continued to walk with him as we headed back to the house. The huge trees towered above us and showered us with an abundant amount of shade. The sunlight peaked through the leaves and beamed spots in random places. Life was still breathing around us.

…

…

…

Some things were just better left unsaid.


	25. And This is How a Warrior Falls

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any anime's characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Five: And This is How a Warrior Falls...

* * *

She was humming again. There was no rhythm to the melody. No definite pattern to the tone she used to deliver her soft tune. The tune was soft and faltered in several places, but she did not seem to care. The nameless melody continued to purr from her delicate throat. Strangely, the wordless song calmed him in a way he could not explain.

Damn tune was going to get stuck in his head again.

There were times he would remember the melody and have to face a whole afternoon of training with her voice humming inside his head. Other times, he would be resting against a tree and listening to her melodies for no apparent reason. In truth, he had heard better tunes from much softer and more melodious voices. Karen's voice was nothing special – so why the hell did it always relax him?

Admittedly, he did tolerate her voice. It was not too loud or too quiet. She didn't have the smoker's husk like that Idiot's sister or like that old Psychic's voice. She didn't have his sister's gentle voice. He was definitely pleased that she didn't have a shrilly voice like that ferry woman or like the Detective's woman. Karen's voice was soft – simple as that.

He supposed it was pleasant, not that he would admit it. Female humans seemed to take things too seriously concerning any admittance for their mate liking a particular trait. He would never tell her because he didn't need her to start stammering around and grating him with her female emotions. He didn't think it would be wise, either, to let her know that besides the humming, he favored the moans tearing from her throat, every time he nipped at her neck, the most.

The tune stopped and his eyes snapped open.

'_I should probably set that out for dinner, too. He likes it, I think.'_

He read her thoughts quickly. The words whispered inside his head like a gentle breeze before disappearing into silence. When he heard nothing else from her mind, he lifted his cup and sipped from his tea.

Karen's mind was the only one he bothered to read on a daily basis. For anyone else, he did not make the effort to tap into his or her thoughts. It was useless. He could easily read people's faces and figure out what they were thinking without having to enter any minds.

She was the exception.

He surmised that it was because he could not read her mind in the beginning, that it had taken time to invade that little head of hers. Eventually, he won the unspoken challenge. His reward was her innocent, simply thoughts – available to him at a moment's notice. He had never heard of thoughts so innocent, so without greed. She wished for nothing more than what she already had in life. Karen's thoughts were maddeningly simple with no trace of darkness, nothing tainted.

There were times when he allowed her a bit of privacy, but those were mere accidents of him being caught up in claiming kisses from her warm mouth. She couldn't hide anything from him. He wouldn't allow it.

"Do you want more tea?"

He glanced over the rim of his cup to meet her eyes. She was smiling. It was simple upturn of the lips with no flash of the teeth – nothing fancy. This smile irritated him. He could never look away when she gave him this smile.

He studied her for a moment, never quite answering her right away. Most of the time, he hardly spared an answer. His usual grunt was a common response and she had learned to decipher those noises easy enough. But there were times, ones he hated, when he would speak to her – for whatever reason, those times made her happy. He knew she liked his voice because he had heard her thoughts concerning him, but why did hearing him speak make her eyes light up so brightly?

His eyes moved over her to examine her in a lazy manner. He always did this. He was trying to see what it was that made him tolerate her on some level, more so than anyone else.

Nothing stood out, no marvelous feature.

She had a round face, not as round as his sister's face, but it gave off what many would call 'gentle features'. She had an even skin tone, which was slightly tanned now from all the walks she insisted on taking or from sitting out in the sun while watching him train. He couldn't see any major scars, only a few small lines, probably from all the times she fell. _Little fool, _he thought annoyingly.

She had smooth cheeks that led to the delicate curve of her chin. That foolish head of hers rested atop a slender neck, which was a part of her body that he had a hard time resisting. It seemed like his lips would tingle, wanting to trace the column of her throat in a demanding way. She never protested when he would give into the damn temptation to do such an annoying thing. It was annoying because he shouldn't be so drawn to her, but the taste of skin enthralled him.

She had long, brown hair that hung to the middle of her back. The strands were just that, brown, but in the sun, they would glitter with slight hues – red, a bit of orange, light blond, just from the scorching sunlight. Like her neck, her very _skin_, these strands were soft and glided over his fingers like silk. She was soft everywhere.

"…you don't want it? I can make a hotter batch."

He barely caught the end of her sentence as his eyes landed on her parting lips. He eyed the fullness of her bottom lip, took note of the shade of glistening pink, and recalled how sweet they always seemed to taste.

He thought back to their first kiss. Rather easily, he had coaxed her from speaking nervously, babbling about her awkward position, and into a stage of relaxation. For a long moment, she had not even realized they were kissing. For a long moment, he had not even realized he was still kissing her. He had only meant to shut her up, but he had not expected for the heat between them to go tearing through him in such a carnal way. He usually never kissed. It was too personal – but their first kiss was enough to leave him gasping and breathing at the same time. That shouldn't be possible.

And that first kiss of hers was his forever. He had unknowingly claimed her untouched lips. No one else would ever have that privilege. No one else would ever taste them, either. Her taste was his alone.

She was his weakness.

Weaknesses made one stronger, gave one power if strength is applied correctly for such a weakness. He would thrive on his weakness and mold his power even more. He had his hidden strength.

She was fragile and innocent, even that soul of hers was not tainted by the darkness in her cruel, pathetic world. She was pure from the greed and untouched by hate. She was a rarity and he planned to keep her soul intact.

"Hiei…?"

He glanced back up at her, watching her lift an eyebrow at his behavior. Sapphire eyes glittered down at him…

_Damn those eyes_, he cursed silently.

It had all started with her eyes. If he hadn't turned around to see what weak human that demon had been attacking, he wouldn't be here with her. But if they hadn't of met, he would be without his moment of weakness. Every warrior had them. He had been foolish to think he could escape the same fate of such a cursed downfall.

Too late, she was his possession now.

"The tea is fine," he answered blandly in response to her earlier question.

She smiled again and poured him more tea when he held out his cup. Filling the cup, she turned and headed back to the sink to wash dishes. Unknown to her, he was watching the sway of her hips as she walked away from him.

One of the annoying things about her was how her body was changing. Before, she had been leaner, almost scrawny – which was fine, as he hadn't spent so much time watching her move. But she was gaining womanly curves. She was gaining them right before his eyes. If he wasn't careful, she might one day realize that she could distract him with a glimpse of those curves.

He traced the outline of her hips with his eyes and unknowingly admired the way they pushed against the fabric of her dress. His gaze traveled up and stopped on the swell of one of her breasts. In truth, he had seen bigger. He had been with far more curvier women in his early years, but he didn't care for those nameless women. They had only been a way to relieve him and nothing more. She was his weakness and apparently, his weakness was beginning to appeal to him greatly on a physical level.

But she didn't seem to appreciate her curves as he grudgingly did.

'_Curse Mei and her cooking skills! This dress doesn't fit like it used to…'_

He sipped from his tea and watched the way she pushed down at the fabric near her hips. That dress _definitely_ didn't fit as it used to…

"What was that?"

He blinked once at her question, "hn?" He didn't remember speaking.

"You said something about my dress," she asked quietly, seeming to test if he had done so or not

He was anything but stupid. She wanted him to slip up and comment about her weight. Females always did that to test males. They wanted them to slip up so that they could have an excuse to shrill about them being insensitive. He was insensitive. Karen called him insensitive. But he didn't have to worry.

Most of the time she forwent the effort it took to yell and settled for an annoyed string of words. He was pleased that she was not like other women who seemed to want to wake an entire neighborhood. If anything, Karen adapted quickly to him – but that didn't stop her from engaging him in a bit of human ways. He should probably work on training that out of her, too.

"You're hearing things," he answered calmly.

She stared at him for a moment longer, those bright blue eyes piercing him. With a small 'oh', she turned back around to resume her task.

He continued to drink his tea.

He should have ignored her question. He had never conversed so much with one person unless it was in the heat of battle or dealt with knowledge concerning power. He concluded that it was because he wanted to see how she reacted to him.

Karen's reactions were oddly entrancing to him. The way she moaned and shuddered when he kissed or touched her skin. How her face would light up when he would tolerate her handholding. The small smile she would give him when he allowed himself to chuckle at her naïve ways. The pleased look in her eyes when he bought her that sketchbook. The unbridled laughter that had unfurled from her mouth when he had angrily slid out from beneath that damn sink – that laughter had affected him more than it should have.

Yes, he did all those things. It was his right – he had claimed her as his mate. He had not claimed her with a bite. She was too weak for that ancient way. There were other ways, which would let other demons know what he had done.

He didn't mind that she was human. He was a powerful demon and more than made up for her weakness. She was his challenge to the worlds. One needed challenges. Otherwise, what was the point in living?

His scent was on her and if any demon used their sense of smell, they would know that she was claimed to him. He had leaked his energy around her until his aura engulfed her entire body. He did not back away from challenges. He could not let anyone else take her from him.

And she had no say in the matter. He had given her what she claimed was all she wanted – being around him. She said it made her happy. He did not need happiness, only tolerance. He tolerated her and that was enough.

But he had given her other things. He had given her a human life. He bought her a house, gave her the nature she seemed to like, bought that damn sketchbook for her, and kept watch over her while she lived. Humans liked those sorts of things. It was like taking care of pet.

Money wasn't an issue. He had a fortune from his years of working with Mukuro and Spirit World (when he was no longer a criminal). He had been exchanging it to Human World's currency, for Yukina, since he rarely used it – but she had that Idiot. The Idiot had a small fortune, as well. Hiei's money was piling up. Really, he had no use for it. He mostly stayed in Demon World, the forests, Mukuro's lair, or at Genkai's temple when visiting Yukina. His money had a purpose now if he was to settle in Human World with his mate.

Karen would not live long. He would surpass her in years, but he supposed his challenges would be met by that time. He would not waste his time living if there was no purpose to keep him going.

Mukuro was not going to die anytime soon. The demon woman was still strong and attached to her lands. He really did not care if he took over or not. So, he would become ruler when and if she died, but then what – nothing. No one would challenge him. Even being her second-in-command was just as he had always said, 'a meaningless token'. He didn't care for titles.

When Karen died of old age, he would follow, too – but only after he knew his sister was safe and happy. There, his cruel life was settled now.

At least here, in Shirakawa-go, it was quieter than Hakone. There was less toxic waste hovering in the air and more trees available. He had his time to be away from humans and she had her love for nature.

This place was suiting them well from Koenma's people. There were many villages in Shirakawa-go and he had done his best to choose an unremarkable village. They would not be found here – at least, not for some time. He had erased his energy and covered up his tracks, but even he knew that eventually they would have to leave. He could effectively disappear from the system, if he was allowed in Demon World, but his human could not withstand those tainted airs.

No matter, they were safe. As long as they remained from those stupid guards, they were fine. He didn't need her thrown in this priestess mess. He knew of her nature. He knew what hunted her precious soul, but he did not want such business clouding her innocent thoughts. He could protect her soul. Nothing else mattered.

"Are you not going back out to train?"

Once again, his eyes sought out her body. She was rinsing the dishes now and completely immerse in the chore. He eyed the exposed flesh of her lower thighs. The dresses were shortening…

"Later," he muttered around the rim of his cup. His eyes moved up to her face and he watched a long strand of hair slip from the bun. It trailed along her neck. His eyes darkened.

"Hiei, do you want kids?"

He glanced sharply at her face, completely jerked away from his perusal of her body. Where had that question come from?

He remained silent, still reeling from the question, but she filled in the silence with soft words. The conversations never lasted long. She always seemed to want to carry on a short conversation. He fathomed it was to seem normal – to satisfy her human needs.

She laughed quietly, "… because Mei said I needed to produce twelve babies."

_Damn that hag_, he swore in his head. He knew she was joking, but he decided to curse that old hag, Mei, anyways.

His cup was empty now and he headed over to the sink. Standing directly behind her, he reached around her and deposited his cup into the now, empty sink. Karen tensed at the sight of the cup in her spotless sink and he smirked at her upcoming reaction.

When she whirled around to face him, he quickly masked his face of any emotion. He watched as she placed her hands on her hips and wrinkled her nose up at him. This pose always amused him and he figured it was because her eyes always brightened more when she was annoyed. Maybe that was why he deliberately waited until she had finished washing all the dishes before placing his cup in the sink, because he knew the action would aggravate her.

Amusement was good. It kept one from growing bored.

"Couldn't you have drunk your tea faster and before I had finished washing the dishes?" she huffed in frustration.

The sentence had whipped out of her mouth, but to him, the words were slow and unrecognizable. His eyes lowered as he watched her lips part with each word. He could see the tip of her tongue against white teeth.

Catching the end of her tirade, he answered, "no."

There it was – she was lifting her chin in defiance, but to him, it allowed him to see more of her delicate throat. "That's rude," she grumbled.

He placed his hand on the sink counter beside her and dipped his head to ask casually, "what was this about kids?"

She was thinking back to her earlier question with a curious gaze. He watched the way her eyelids lowered and the long lashes concealed those innocent eyes.

His other hand reached up and landing on the counter on her other side. She was trapped within his arms. It was a habit. He needed to exert control and dominance. But she didn't even notice how close he was now for she was naïve and taking his question too seriously.

"Oh yeah," she glanced up at him, unaware of the way his eyes had darkened, "Mei said I had to make twelve babies. It's just more of her advice."

"Hn."

It was moments like this when he felt out of place –when she would stare up at him with such innocence and trust. He wasn't human. He wasn't like her in any way. She believed in him too much. He was a demon. He could very easily break her neck and end her life in a matter of seconds. Yet, she didn't seem to mind, which was shown by how deeply she slept next to him in bed.

She would hold his hand without flinching. She would walk beside him, not caring that he towered over her by nearly a foot. She would smile at him even as he continued to scowl at her in annoyance. She met his eyes calmly, allowed his kisses without questions, and trusted all of his choices.

And it was in these moments, that he couldn't very well do what he wanted to do. He wanted her. He knew his body and he responded to her well enough. He claimed her, but he couldn't bring himself to exact his rights over her – and it was damn near frustrating. He had to settle for less primal ways until he could figure out why he didn't just mate with her already. Eventually, the heavy kisses would not be enough to satisfy him.

He found himself placing his hands upon her hips and skimming her sides with his thumbs. Karen's eyes flashed up at him, brimming with curiosity at his actions. He stared at his hands and noticed how slender she truly was beneath his touch.

"Crazy, huh?" she whispered. He heard the slight intake of her breath as he squeezed lightly, but she continued shakily, "s-she has these strange ideas –"

"Twelve's possible," he interrupted.

He caught the splash of pink upon her cheeks. Strange, her blushes never strayed from the tops of her cheeks. It was… pretty, but they never lasted long. She shifted away and pressed back against the counter. His hold tightened slightly and his fingers curled around her hips possessively.

"Why," she cleared her throat, "why do you say that?"

He skimmed his thumbs along her sides again and weighed his answer. He kept his voice low and flat, as if he were explaining to her about the difference between nuts and bolts. Something he actually did do when he scolded her about the tool she had broken – he could have used that for the sink, dammit. She just didn't understand the simple nature of such devices.

"Your hips are round, enabling for easier birthing."

Karen's eyes narrowed, "are you saying I have big hips?"

"Yes," he growled in her ear.

No, she didn't have big hips, but he wasn't about to tell her his fascination with her developing curves. That would be like giving her some control over him. He couldn't have that happening.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her more against him, molding her soft curves against the hardness of his body. His other hand snaked up her side and grazed the side of her breast. The gasp that left her mouth had him growling against her neck.

The heat was blazing again and he responded wildly to it. His hand wrapped around her hair and pulled back gently to tilt her face up to him. Kissing up her throat, he felt her hands brushing up his chest to wrap around his neck. He found her lips and kissed her hungrily, his lips sliding demandingly against her mouth.

It surprised him at how differently she reacted to this kiss. She usually remained stiff, taking a second to relax but already she was sinking against him. She surprised him even more as she stood on her toes to press her mouth more firmly against him. Karen had never kissed him back. She had only accepted his kisses. He didn't know if it was because she was too innocent to figure it out or too unsure of how he would react.

His body reacted to her violently. He could smell that damn scent of hers, an aroma he tried to smother with his own scent to keep others from catching a whiff. That scent was for him, one that kept pulling him in like an enchanted trap.

Before he could do anything else, there was a loud knock at the front door. He cursed against her lips and inhaled harshly. _Damn visitors,_ he fumed.

Karen somehow shot out from within his hold, moving before he could grab her again. He blinked at the empty spot in front of him and nearly hissed at the ruined moment.

He hoped the visitors would leave soon.

"Yay, we can stay for the afternoon!" yelled one of Daisuke's brats from within the main room.

He loath sighing, but he felt the need to inhale and exhale deeply in order to soothe his hormones. He didn't understand how Karen could easily manage her hormones more swiftly than him – which was a sure sign that she was not yet ready for any sexual advances. Otherwise, she wouldn't have lit out of the room on _steady_ legs.

And there was the reason for not mating with her yet. He wanted her responding to him as readily as his body already responded to her womanly ways. He better not have to wait long.

_Damn_ _kids_, he brushed a hand through his hair angrily. Now, the moment was truly gone.

"Mr. Hiei!"

He almost groaned as he heard the patter of tiny footsteps and that brat Nukia clutched him around his legs. Sukia followed shortly and began asking if he liked short hair or long hair, because she wanted to know the ideal answer based off all the boys she knew.

Damn.

* * *

Kurama rolled his shoulders and inhaled deeply while observing the wooded nature around him. His heart was already slowing down from the exertion he had forced his blood to pump into the organ. A bit of perspiration clung to his brow and he smoothed it away with a finger.

He eyed the falling leaves. The leaves were turning from bright green to glossy red and gold. His shoes crunched over a few and snapped the deadened leaves. There were loud crunches to his right and he turned toward the disturbance.

Kuwabara was coming into sight and slowing into a jog. He continued jogging until he reached his friend resting beneath an autumn tree.

"I don't care how many times we run," grumbled Kuwabara as he rested his hands on large knees, "the aches will be there in the morning."

Kurama reached into his duffel bag and tossed his friend a water bottle. Seeing Kuwabara catch the bottle, he stretched his arm across his body to relieve a bit of tension.

He had to agree with Kuwabara, running was no easier than when they first started. At least, the aches were not as painful as before and he would rather have tolerable aches than painful ones. The two men both knew running was ideal before going off to spar. Running loosened the body and provided more stamina with time. However, running had its drawbacks. Kurama was going to have to soak again, tonight.

Kuwabara chugged the water from his bottle desperately. Kurama chuckled when he heard the tall man give out a loud 'whoop' once he finished the water.

"Three months of training, Kurama," began Kuwabara. "You think we can make it through the temple the entire way now?"

After only a month of training, the two men had visited the temple on Yomi's lands. They had only been able to navigate a few floors. The obstacles were more dangerous than Kurama had imagined. It was then decided that they needed extensive training before attempting another exploration.

"I think we may be able to," he answered honestly. Kurama unwound the tie in his hair and shook his hair loose. He had tied his hair too tightly. "But it'll be a little while longer before we try again. I think it's advisable to wait for Lena and Genkai to accompany us."

Kuwabara didn't seem too bothered by the news. He was flexing his left bicep. "Well, that just means more training. I think I've surpassed my old self," Kuwabara poked his bulging arm, "look at these guns, man. I was never this big when I was fourteen."

Kurama ignored his friend's muscles. He turned to admire the clear sky. "Let's hope you don't crush Yukina, Kuwabara."

Kuwabara blushed and dropped his arms. "Eh, nope," he mumbled, "that wouldn't be good."

They both settled on the ground and took a much-needed break before heading off to the empty warehouse where they sparred. Kuwabara was fiddling with a decaying leaf with a thoughtful expression. Kurama was retying his hair into a low ponytail while watching the sun's rays light up the leaves.

"Those bad guys have been quiet," murmured Kuwabara while tapping his empty bottle against the ground. "Nothing has happened since that fight back in Tokyo… it's just creepy."

Kurama lowered his gaze to his hands. He was almost at top form and his energy was buzzing within his hands. "It means they are planning something or they have something that has caught their attention."

"You think he's that Cain guy, this Master person?"

"Yes, the way that Mamoru spoke of him – he feared this Master. He mentioned that Master said 'the past repeats itself'. He made him sound as if he were already experienced with temples."

Twirling the empty water bottle in his hand, Kuwabara lowered his head. "I've got a bad feeling about this Cain guy." The large man stared at the ground and said quietly, "like when I was fourteen and I got chills whenever something bad was going to happen… that's how I feel about this demon's name."

"I agree," Kurama threw another bottle of water to his friend, "but that is why we are training."

Comically, Kuwabara made a face. "I wish I was fourteen again, because I could do this all day long."

"But then you wouldn't have your, what did you call them – oh, yes, guns," joked Kurama.

Kuwabara grinned. "Yeah, they are pretty nice."

Changing the conversation, Kurama asked about their other friend. "How's Yusuke?"

"Same as usual," Kuwabara waved a hand in a bored manner, "ugly, mean, and second best to me," he chuckled under his breath. "Nah, I don't see him much, really. Yukina and I go over for weekly dinners and he's usually gone. Keiko says he comes in late, but she didn't seem mad. She said he's got a job, but she wouldn't say what he was doing. Can you imagine that? Urameshi working," he shook his head.

Hearing Kuwabara's statement, Kurama frowned. "That is… odd."

Kuwabara reached down to grab his duffel bag. Slipping the strap over his shoulder, he jammed his hands in his pockets. "You know, sis has been busy, too."

Kurama raised an eyebrow while shouldering his own bag, "indeed?"

"Yeah," he headed toward the park's entrance. "She's hardly home, but I'm not worried. She checks in and stuff. She said she's getting her life together, that she found some sort of purpose in life now."

"Perhaps, she has a social life?" suggested Kurama to Kuwabara's curious frown. "She is a grown and beautiful woman."

Kuwabara blanched at the thought of his sister as a woman, and probably, beautiful, too. "No way," he protested.

The redhead gave a little grin, "just stating a possibility."

After calming down from the idea of his sister as beautiful, Kuwabara said, "she knows about Karen being a priestess." When Kurama flashed him a raised eyebrow, Kuwabara nodded. "Yeah, knows about all that business. After she told Koenma about what went down with the missing women, she noticed Karen missing. She freaked a bit until I told her about everything. I wasn't going to tell her. I didn't want her to know anything after what she went through – I just wanted her to get used to life again."

"How did she take the news?"

"Pretty good," he replied casually, "she started her 'purpose in life' thing," he did the air quotations. "I guess everyone is busy now." When they reached their cars, he asked, "we sparring today? I have this new move I've wanted to try."

Kurama glanced up to the sky, taking note of the setting sun. "Yes, I have something I've been working on, too."

"Alright," Kuwabara dug out his car keys and grinned at Kurama, "but you might as well come over to eat with us tonight. She said you are not to decline her offer," lowering his voice, Kuwabara said seriously, "and you don't want to do that, trust me. She can be eerie when she's upset."

Kurama found that hard to believe and laughed quietly while opening his door.

"I'm serious," remarked Kuwabara. "Why won't anyone believe me? She's like the Shrimp," Kuwabara ducked his head and scowled, "no, that like him. She's beautiful and he's ugly – but she's got a glare to rival that jerk. I swear." Letting out a breath of air, Kuwabara gave him a look, "so, I'm supposed to bribe you to have dinner with us."

"And this bribe would be?"

"Hell if I know!" Kuwabara snorted noisily. "I thought you would think of a bribe for me." Tossing his duffel bag in his car, Kuwabara turned to Kurama. "She just worries about you. You spend too much time alone."

All his friends were worried about his life, which was why they kept hounding him to eat dinner with their families. That, or set him up on another blind date. He liked blind dates now and then, but none of the women was what he was looking for in his life. He hadn't found that special person.

"I eat just fine, Kuwabara." And he was eating fine. He had been spending time feeding that friend of Karen's for many weeks, which was her one of her friend's compensation for his help. That boy could eat. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Kuwabara stared at Kurama thoughtfully over the top of his car. The tall man flashed him a serious, brotherly look. "Kurama, why don't you just pick one and try –"

_I knew he was going to bring this up._ Kurama held up a hand, "please, don't start."

"Fine, but you have to come over for dinner."

"Well," Kurama muttered in resigned way, "since you've already asked, I'll accept the offer."

"Great! Let me tell Yukina! I'll meet you at the abandoned warehouse. You know, we really should find some other place to train, because that place gives me the creeps."

And just like that, the two comrades parted.

* * *

"Master?"

"Ah, Takeo," greeted a silky voice. "What do you bring me?"

Takeo kept his head lowered and remained kneeling. He saw Master's boots pacing before him in an excited way. Master was growing more restless, which was a dangerous sign that things were almost ready to begin.

"I have located the temple you've inquired about," informed Takeo in a monotone voice. "I did as you ask and searched several areas of known earthquakes. We stuck to Nikko and that is where we managed to locate the temple Spirit World tried to hide."

The footfalls paused and the last step echoed loudly in the dimly lit room. "Nikko." Master drawled, testing the word. "Good. I dread this continent and my men grow tired of these American women."

Takeo remained silent.

"So, our captured priestess located the temple easily?" asked Master casually.

He was referring to the young girl, twelve, that they had kept from the women they had captured months ago. Takeo closed his eyes and saw the young girl's face flicker inside his mind. He recalled one of the guards holding her small arm and dragging her around in the dead of night to search for the temple in Nikko.

"Yes," he answered quietly, "she was drawn to this temple, as you known she would be."

Master began pacing again and his heavy boots thudded along the floor. "And what of Gu?" he asked Takeo. "Has he collected up enough power to cast a new barrier around this temple in Nikko? Once we strip down the barrier these SDF put up, the temples presence will attract those annoying humans. We don't need such attention. Prince Koenma should be pleased that I'm willing to cover up our work this time."

"Gu asks for more time. He says he's nearly collected enough, but he wants the barrier to hold perfectly."

This time when Master spoke, there was underlying coldness to his tone. "Fine, I can deal with that excuse." Takeo tensed, ready to blur away if Master so much as flicked a hand toward him. However, Master dismissed him with a bored tone. "You may go, Takeo."

Rising, Takeo slipped on his hood and headed toward the doors. Reaching for the doorknob, Master's deep voice stopped him.

"Takeo, I hope you are ready for battle. I'm still disappointed that you didn't fight with that Mazoku lord in Demon World."

Takeo's eyes dipped to the ground as he heard the warning in Master's voice. He decided not to answer and made a hasty exit. Master's eerie chuckled echoed after him.

* * *

A quiet laugh drifted in the wind and his eyes opened.

She was walking ahead of him, the hem of her dress swishing against the back her knees. A red sweater hugged her upper body and the color blended with the leaves upon the ground. The short boots she wore crushed the leaves and left a trail of colorful pieces.

The seasons were changing.

He didn't complain about the weather, but he preferred the cooler seasons. His birthplace had been of ice and the cold suited him. Shirakawa-go had yet to undergo drastic ice, but fall was approaching the village with cool days and nights. Four months down the road and he was finally getting some tolerable weather.

He seated himself upon the ground, knowing that Karen would want to explore the clearing a bit before walking back home. Leaning back against a tree, he lifted a knee up and rested his arm upon it in casual manner. He settled into his usual pastime of watching his mate.

Karen was in the middle of the clearing and staring up at the nearly barren trees around them. She placed her arms behind her back and clasped her left wrist with her right hand to hold them in place. It was a habit whenever she was unsure of something – which right now, she was unsure of why he was staring at her so intensely. She could feel his gaze on her and this caused him to smirk.

She had many habits. Like when she was annoyed, she would wrinkle up her nose and her eyes would sparkle up at him. When she read, she focused intently on the book and murmured to herself to remember important information. Before drinking tea, she would blow exactly three times to cool the liquid. As she sketched, she would tilt her head to the side to admire different angles.

He studied all of her habits and committed them to memory. He didn't know why he paid attention to her quirky habits. He reasoned that as her mate, he needed to know everything – but watching her habits only clarified the fact that he had his own habit, too – he watched her too damn much. He really didn't need habits.

She was heading slowly to a tree across the ways and the autumn leaves sounded like fire cackling in the dead of winter. His eyes trailed after her habitually, watching as she knelt down to help a turtle back onto its stubby feet. He glimpsed creamy skin when she moved her hair over to the opposite shoulder to keep the long strands out of the way. The sweater was tugging down her arm and the fading tan of her skin flashed at him like a beacon of light. Too bad her attention was entirely focused on that pathetic turtle on the ground.

That, was one of the things he did not understand about his mate. He certainly wouldn't waste any amount of time helping a worthless creature. Many living things wouldn't waste their time doing such an act. Children would simply poke the turtle or keep it as a pet. Adults would shrug at the slow reptile and keep walking. He would have ignored it – never spared it a second glance. If the creature couldn't help itself then the damn thing deserved to suffer.

Apparently, she didn't believe in such things.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax once he knew that she wasn't going to wander off too far from him. He extended his energy, letting his aura curl around her and the surrounding area. No dangerous creatures were around, especially any snakes, those reptiles that she feared.

He inhaled softly, catching that soft scent of hers. A scent he savagely covered with his own to keep hidden from any males. He leaned his head back and forced himself to stop suffocating himself with her delicious scent.

He was still trying to understand what it was that drew him to this small woman. He wanted to write it off on their connection, that blasted bond, but that was not the reason. The connection between them was still there. He could feel where she was at all times, like a string tugging on his mind. But underneath, there was heat he could not explain. He had read her thoughts concerning that heat and she believed it was the connection. It was not. He felt the heat whenever he came too close. It burned both of them. It burned even more when he kissed or touched her, and he could only imagine how this heat would act when they finally mated.

He tried to base his attachment to this human woman on her pure soul, because he was more tainted than she was, but that wasn't the case. They had very distinct souls, yes, but he did not want to tarnish her soul. He did not crave her soul in any way. If anything, he craved the heat, her scent, and that soft body.

Yes, he had chosen her as a mate, but he didn't want to be consumed with her. It was becoming ridiculous. He kept thinking of her, seeing her face inside his mind while he trained. He didn't need that distraction. She was only supposed to be his mate, not an infatuation. He wasn't supposed to obsess over this fool of a woman.

Sometimes, her smile would flash before him and just that flicker of an image would calm his entire mind. But it was most annoying when she would say his name. His name rolled off her tongue in such a perfect way, as if she was always meant to say it. His grunts were becoming less whenever she said his name, bringing him back into that human small talk. And now, he was usually meeting her gaze when she spoke – he needed to go back to ignoring her, but she seemed ignorant to his retreats.

He tried to scare her away as he did with any annoying human. He was his usual self when they first met or so he thought. With her, he had been too unstable. He had never met someone where he felt he had out of control. He hurled snide remarks and cruel words to dwindle that cheerful heart of hers. He had shoved her away countless times, sometimes harder than necessary. She had a way of getting under his skin, sliding beneath and affecting him like a parasite. When none of those worked, he resorted to harsher actions by inflicting a bit of pain – anything to get her to fear him and know that she needed to leave him alone. He tried to ignore her and move with his quiet life. He wrote her off as just his connection half and that was that. She was just something hanging on to the end of this invisible string.

However, she ruined that plan. Instead of cowering away for good, she hid away to lick her wounds until she could come bounding back with a smile. He saw the bruises. He knew he caused aches in her arms, but she just would not see him for what he was – evil, no-good, sadistic demon.

And curse this pathetic world. He had stayed here too long and this wretched world had softened his black heart. He had started feeling guilty for every bruise he ever gave that delicate woman.

He hadn't touched her, in that way, since that night they left Tokyo. He had been tired and angry that night. When she refused to leave, he saw red. He was enraged that she would surrender herself so easily and leave him without her annoying presence – the fact that he was bothered that she would be ripped away from him added to his fury. He had almost broken her arm. Another ounce of pressure and the bone in her arm would have shattered. He had never lost control like that. The bruised, the size of his entire hand, stayed for two weeks, but she never complained about it.

He had been careful to never, so much as leave, a scratch on that precious skin – unless it was the soft bruises, he left against her neck and shoulders. He didn't want to hurt her like that again.

Maybe that was another reason why he treated her differently now. She had withstood his abuse. She was such an odd woman to keep running back to him even after all the bruises. She never dwelt on the pain. She never moped about it. She just kept coming back to him – he knew when to respect an opponent.

On the other hand, Karen did not mope. She thought briefly of the events in Tokyo, about the guards searching for her, but she did not sit around and cry about her situation. Actually, she never cried – not in front of him. The only time he ever saw evidence of her tears was the night they left Tokyo. Those eyes were rimmed with red and shining brightly. He felt guilty then, too, for seeing the light of her eyes so dim. There were times he saw them gathering in her eyes, but then she forced them away. He didn't know what would happen if he saw them fall…

But, she seemed to be able to face every day with that unfaltering, annoying smile. She was always accepting and moving on in her life – this life with him.

Still, she was making him crazy. He could not stay away from her foolish self. She annoyed him with those smiles. That slow upturn of the lips that she would only give him. For everyone else, she beamed brightly. For him, she gave him _the_ smile – _his_ smile. She angered him with her innocence. He was hanging on the edge of cliff waiting for her to respond to his advances. She pleased him with her presence. He had never felt so calm than when he would sit and watch her move about happily.

She was too many things. She was messing with his head. It infuriated him that he couldn't get enough of her and he wanted to be around her constantly. He didn't know what to do anymore. She wasn't supposed to affect him this way, but he had let her in too far.

She was a disease, contaminating him and crawling beneath his skin. She infected him without his knowledge and seeped into his icy veins. There was no cure. Nothing that would rid what she had caused to inflict this horrid pain in his frozen heart. She was haunting his head with her voice. She kept calling to him with that laugh. She was pulling him back to her side with those soft hands. He couldn't turn away. He couldn't ignore this human. He was far past the point of walking away and disappearing from her gentle life. Those eyes would not leave him.

She was defeating him, but he never lost. He was still fighting…

"Hiei," purred that pleasant voice.

Her voice intruded into his mind and shattered his thoughts. His eyes opened and he eyed the brown, red, and gold leaves scattered onto the browning grass. He kept eyeing the ground, unsure if he even heard that haunting voice. He heard the leaves crunching loudly and his eyes traveled up slowly. He caught sight of a boot. His eyes continued up a shapely calf, and then the other calf, and the glimpses of skin peeking beneath the hem of her yellow dress.

The dress moved with her every step, stretching tight and loosening, like his every breath. Where did she learn to walk like that? _No_, he concluded, as he watched her – she wasn't aware of the way she was moving. She didn't know that she was capturing his attention once again. She wasn't supposed to look so damn, so utterly damn, alluring.

"Can we go back home? It's getting late."

He blinked, hardly catching her words as she stood in front of him now. He tore his eyes away from her exposed legs and looked up into those haunting eyes. He watched the fading glow of the sun dancing in her piercing irises. He could see the flicker of gold, red, and brown from the leaves around them. His eyes were reflecting back at him and it was such an odd color as innocent blue and sinful red mixed.

There was soft laughter and his eyes flickered to her mouth. When he saw that she was laughing down at him, he scowled in annoyance.

"What," he asked gruffly.

There was that smile again. "Are you even listening to me?"

He forced himself to look away. Of course, he heard her…

"I need to start on dinner." Karen stated firmly. "I told you twice already."

"I heard you the first time," he snapped. Damn. Why couldn't he just grunt or tell her to walk back herself? He didn't need to make small talk.

She sighed and turned away from him, "okay, I'll meet you there, then."

And the warrior follows. He felt himself stand and following her to the trail. When he was near, his hand reached for her arm to stop her movements. He didn't understand his actions. She tilted her face up to him and those sapphires were dancing in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

He didn't answer. He only squeezed gently on her arm to keep her from walking away, careful to keep his touch light. She exhaled softly and removed her arm from his grip. Instead of moving away, she grabbed his much larger hand. She began tugging him while she walked backward a few steps and he followed her – allowed her to pull him along like some overgrown puppy.

"I know," she murmured playfully, "you're hungry. Well, you're in luck! I'm making your favorite," her voice lowered mischievously, "stir-fry."

He couldn't stop his mouth from tipping up at one corner. She turned around to walk correctly, keeping a hold of his hand. His longer stride naturally shortened to keep her from stumbling in his wake. Knowing her, she would fall and crack her skull.

They didn't say anything more. They didn't need to say anything. She knew that right now was a time to enjoy the sounds of nature.

She had adapted to his taciturn ways and accepted him unlike a great deal of other beings. She didn't question him endlessly anymore. She didn't demand answers unless she felt such answers were needed. She didn't whine about him being too silent.

But he wouldn't mind if she were to erupt into an endless conversation, which she sometimes would do to fill in too lengthy silences.

Sometimes, she would talk about what she had read in one of those poetry books from the house. She would ask his opinion on certain passages, but like her, he didn't care for such needless lyrics. That didn't stop her from reading to him during the times he rested against a tree or if they were trapped in the house from a rainstorm. Sometimes, she would tell him about the past. She would bring up the time he had sharpened her pencils to the point that they broke from the slightest pressure. She would tell him about the time Kenji and her had tripped at school and caused traffic in the hallways. She shared a story about Mei nearly fainting because a spider dropped down from the ceiling.

He always listened.

There was the sound of a door sliding open and he frowned in annoyance. They had arrived back at the house without his notice. He had allowed his thoughts to carry him away again. Shit, he wasn't even paying attention to his surroundings anymore.

"Hiei?"

That pleasant voice sounded distant, but he didn't respond to its entrancing ways. He was still reprimanding himself inside his head.

"Hiei?"

He needed to focus.

"Hiei?"

Something could sneak up on him and he needed to be alert.

"Hiei?"

For now on, he was going to exert some control over himself. He needed to be the disciplined demon that he had been before he met his downfall. No more distractions –

Heat flickered to life beneath his skin as something soft and sweet touched his lips. He blinked slowly and the room came back into focus. His eyes widened, realizing what the pressure was against his mouth.

She was kissing him.

He started to wrap an arm around her, to pull her closer, but she pulled away. She was ending the chaste kiss and he growled in frustration. If she was going to kiss him, she needed to finish it properly.

He reached a hand toward her, but she stepped away playfully. Narrowing his eyes, he growled out her cursed name, "_Karen."_

She smiled softly and turned away to head into the kitchen. She was teasing him! She knew his warning tone. He had used it more than enough times.

Annoyed at the withdrawal, he pushed her against the nearest wall and shielded her head from colliding with the wooden panels. Pinning her there with his body, he captured her mouth easily and smirked at how eagerly she opened up to his experienced tongue. His hand flew to her shoulder and he tugged down the loose sweater to reveal the skin he had been watching so intensely. His lips trailed down and down, and when he reached her slender shoulder –

There was the sound of approaching tires.

He was going to destroy those damn neighbors. Every time they did this, that family comes chugging up the driveway like some sort of divine intervention. Inhaling sharply, he allowed her to step around him and head to the door.

He hoped they were only dropping something off.

"Mr. Hiei," he scowled as Daisuke's youngest brat popped up in front of him and wrapped her tiny arms around his leg. "We can stay for dinner!"

"Joy," he muttered darkly.

Mei shuffled toward the kitchen carrying a covered dish with a fragrant aroma. The brat's older sister came up to him shyly and asked him what he did today. According to his mate, this girl was at the age where she was crushing on every boy in her life. Daisuke was heading back outside to retrieve something from his truck – it had better be sake.

That's it. He was going to tell this family to leave. They could eat at their own house. He and his mate had some business to finish. Yes, he'll just go in there and tell them to leave. He was going to exert control starting _now. _

"Hiei," called Karen with _his_ smile.

_No, not the damn smile,_ he glared.

"Can you get that bowl down from the cabinet?"

He grunted and followed her automatically. From within the kitchen, he smelled the sweet substance from Mei's dessert dish.

_Fine_, he grumbled silently. They can stay, but only because they were already here in his house. It would be a waste to let this food spoil.

Tomorrow, he would exert control.

Collecting the bowl from the top cabinet, he handed the bowl to her and ignored the sly smile from the old hag standing at the stove. Before he turned to leave, Karen kissed his cheek and he savored the feel of her lips.

There goes his control, leaving him as she captured his attention.

Damn.


	26. As The Storm Brews, The Sky Darkens

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any anime's characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Six: As The Storm Brews, The Sky Darkens

* * *

"Please, collect your things and exit to your right. Remember, we are not responsible for any lost or stolen items. Thank you and have a nice day!"

Kenji reached under his seat and grabbed his bag. Unwinding the shoulder strap, he slid the strap up his arm and let it rest on his shoulder. Turning, he squeezed into the line of people shuffling toward the exit of the train. He stared easily over the passengers' heads, trying to estimate how long it would be before he reached the exit.

As he waited, Kenji allowed his mind to wander over the last few months.

He had spent most of his time engrossed behind books, scrawling random notes, bugging librarians, and traveling to nearby temples – not the temples hidden, but regular temples. Kurama suggested that he visit some of Japan's temples and ask around for any available history information. He suggested that the monks may have some old records that were not held in libraries.

Kenji was still regarding Kurama as a possible traitor, but the older man was proving to be a trustworthy person. Kenji sometimes found it hard to believe he had the soul of a fox demon – he seemed normal to him.

Most of the time, Kurama drove him to various libraries and they would comb through the bookshelves for hours. Kenji could never stay quiet for too long and often ended up talking about certain facts he had read during the long drives or long searches. Then, they would have _business _dinners, because Kenji refused to think of it as plain, old dinner. That sounded weird between men. He would eat as much as he could and Kurama never seemed to mind the company (or the cost of the bill – free food!). Kenji was starting to suspect that Kurama was lonely – or had to be if he was spending all that time hanging with a nerdy teen.

But, Kurama was looking tired as of late, and Kenji decided to handle the research on his own. He assured Kurama that he was capable of traveling, but Kurama still insisted on covering travel expenses and giving him money for food. Kenji didn't mind. Hell, it was free food!

Kenji liked researching by himself – he could lose himself in the dusty volumes. He enjoyed the work. Searching through ancient texts was fascinating to him. He loved the smell of aged paper and dusty covers. History was his thing.

In spite of everything, his days remained busy until the sun went down. He tried to stick to a routine, making sure not to make anyone suspicious. He kept his job at the movie theater where he slouched behind the front counter with his nose in a history book. He practiced a couple of hours a day, honing in on his tennis skills. He visited the Urameshi's for dinner, which Keiko insisted he attend every few days. Again, free food!

He suspected Keiko insisted he come over for dinner because he had been Karen's friend – that and he had usually had dinner there when Karen was available. Keiko was probably trying to hang onto someone that had been close to Karen. She always seemed to hover over him by picking at his hair ("Don't you think you need a haircut?" asked Keiko incredulously) and piling his plate with home cooked food.

And Yusuke – he wasn't as he had expected. He was even ashamed to admit that he had been dreading the meeting with Karen's dad the day he decided to make an appearance.

-Flashback-

Kenji swallowed when he heard the back door open. Keiko smiled and turned away, heading into the kitchen with a hasty request for him to stay there. He wanted to leave. He already knew why Karen was gone, but her parents didn't know that he was aware of their supernatural life. If he left now, he would draw some suspicions.

But he didn't want to meet Karen's dad – adoptive or not!

Karen told him about Yusuke being this powerful, sort-of-demon, lord in Demon World. He kept picturing a huge man with cold, malicious eyes and an evil smile to rival the Devil. He was going to snap his scrawny neck and laugh at the sight of his frightened eyes. He was going to slap off his glasses and smash the frames. He was going to throw him in the oven and tell Keiko to start roasting his nerdy ass.

He hurried to the picture cabinet and scanned all the photos. He couldn't remember which one Karen had pointed out as her adoptive father. At the time, he had been too busy gawking at the sight of Hiei. Why the hell hadn't he question Karen then on Hiei's height? He had also been staring intensely at all the different faces and noting how everyone seemed to have odd colored hair. People did strange stuff with their hair, but so many at one time was weird. And they all looked like they had seen a thing or two.

He should have known something was up with his best friend's oddly fascinating family. But they had their cover stories and acted so naturally together, save for Hiei (bastard). He had met her uncle Kurama and the man had greeted him kindly ("So, you're my niece's friend? Tennis, you say – mind telling me how this dent occur? You must have seen the perpetrator."). He had always wondered why Hiei seemed to be a constant presence in Karen's life ("Stupid boy, stay away from her before you dent in her head with your ridiculous feet."). He remembered Karen making up the constant excuses for her dad's absence ("Oh, he's away, far away! He does business overseas… where, you say – all over! He never stays in one place too long, so I have no idea where he's at until he calls, but you know, time difference.").

But, god dammit, which one was Yusuke? He searched desperately. He knew Kurama and Hiei, but there were three other men in the picture. He searched for Keiko and squinted through his lenses. If Yusuke was in there, he was positive the man would be next to the pretty woman. Except, his glasses were fogging up! He couldn't see.

He heard Keiko's hushed voice in the kitchen and he froze. _What if he starts questioning me like crazy, _he thought wildly._ I didn't prepare for any of that! _

The back door closed and shoes were being removed. He could hear a man's low murmur replying to Keiko. He thought he heard the man say something about being hungry.

_No, he's coming!_ He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. _I'm not ready for this!_

Heavy footfalls thudded against the floor, nearing closer and closer. He started backing away and hurried to think of a proper excuse to yell at the couple. He couldn't go through with this. To hell with his limited acting as the damn tree in Wizard of Oz.

The kitchen screen rattled and began sliding open slowly.

"I-I," he licked his dry lips, "I don't feel well." His words were quiet and only he heard them.

The door slid open and Kenji was greeted with a young man. The man was dressed in torn, dirty jeans and a faded, tank top. He looked as if he had been working outside, and maybe he had, because the man had a bit of a tan. Kenji automatically noticed the man's muscles, but anyone's muscles looked huge compared to his meager arms. Ruffling his hair tiredly, the man flashed him a crooked grin.

The man approached in a lazy manner, seeming to give off the aura of one entirely sure of himself. That grin was still present and Kenji wondered what such a smile meant. Did this man know what he knew about him? Swallowing again, Kenji braced his feet against the floor and prepared to meet his best friend's dad. His legs trembled violently.

The man stopped directly in front of Kenji and placed his hands on his hips. _Oh shit, he's getting into a fighting stance,_ he believed. His glasses fogged up more, but he was too afraid to wipe them.

"So, you're Moto, huh?" drawled a cocky voice.

Kenji stiffened. "Y-yes, sir, I mean, Mr. Urameshi… sir."

…

…

…

"Hey, man," boomed the voice, "nice to meet you."

Kenji winced when Yusuke slapped him on the back and nearly sent him crashing onto his face. Feeling guilty, Yusuke quickly placed a hand on Kenji's shoulder and straightened him with a nervous chuckle. He thought he might have ruptured something in his back, but Kenji didn't want to make a show of it. This man was most likely attacking him secretly – discreetly torturing him, because he knew what he knew.

"Why are you breathing so hard?" asked Yusuke.

"I don't know anything!" he blurted.

"What?"

"I meant… that's how I greet, Karen! We say that when we meet each other," he laughed too loudly to pass off his lie. "It's an inside joke. As for my glasses, well I get really happy when I meet people and start breathing hard… fogged up my glasses, heh." Kenji grinned nervously while wiping furiously at his lenses.

He didn't know if Yusuke bought the story completely, but the man shrugged. "You're a weird kid, but figures," he wrapped an arm around Kenji's shoulders as if they were old pals, "my daughter's awkward, too, so you two make sense… about Karen, well, let's talk in the kitchen, kid."

With that, Yusuke began leading him toward the kitchen. Kenji accidently stumbled over a rung in the carpet, but Yusuke seemed prepared for him to do such a thing. He thought he head the man say 'just like Karen, alright. Both tripping over the same thing', but before he could catch the entire sentence, he felt the man wrap a hand around his arm.

"Dang," murmured Yusuke thoughtfully while feeling his arm for muscles. "I heard you play tennis, but kid, you're all skin and bones. Where's the fat?" He shook Kenji's poorly developed arm. It gave a pathetic jiggle as if to say 'right here, sir'. "Where's the rest of the meat?"

-End of Flashback-

Yeah, certainly not what he expected.

Yusuke was actually a cool dude and seemed completely relaxed, as if nothing bothered him in the world and there was no such thing as stress. Kenji found it odd that Keiko was involved with Yusuke, because they appeared to be two different people. Right away, he noticed that Yusuke was loud and boisterous. Keiko was pretty, kind, sympathetic, could cook good, had a nice laugh – yeah, he had a crush on his friend's mom, but hey, he was a teen, a guy, and he could get away with that sort of thing.

But when the conversation was silent for even a second, he could see the strain of the priestess business in the couple.

Kenji felt guilty whenever he had to pretend to ask about Karen, knowing fully well that she wasn't as sick as they had explained. He had to keep his expression sorrowful and tell them, just before he left, that he hoped Karen would get better soon.

However, he hadn't seen Yusuke around as much, only a few times at the dinners he attended. The last few times he had seen Yusuke, he had looked, bigger. He wasn't checking the man out, because that would be disgusting. But the man's arms were twice the size they were months ago. He could swear the shirts were straining not to burst into ribbons. If Keiko noticed, she didn't make a show of it. Although, there was that time he saw Keiko feel up Yusuke's arm with a suggestive grin – but she could have been flicking off some lint.

Well, one thing was for sure.

No one suspected a single thing, except Kurama, and he still couldn't believe the redhead had rattled the information out of him so easily. Everyone else believed he was the goofy friend of Karen. They didn't know that he knew about the other worlds, demons, and every odd thing in his once normal world.

His father certainly didn't suspect a thing. He never did – but that was because the man was hardly home to notice Kenji for even a minute. He worked in the office well into the night, and went on business trips left and right. He left Kenji money in his account. It was his way of saying 'sorry, I forgot to tell you that I won't be back for a week', and Kenji was left alone with the housekeeper. The penthouse suite was always empty and quiet, save for the ever-changing housekeeper.

The housekeeper made him meals, but Kenji couldn't force himself to sit alone in the kitchen. He usually left and went to eat with strangers in some random restaurant. He knew it wasn't healthy, but he hated the silence in the too big kitchen. Some kids might have liked to be alone, have a bank load in an account, and be able to do anything they wanted – not Kenji.

He went and applied for that dumbass position at the theater. At least he was around noise and chaos, if only because he was slouching away behind the counter. And at first, tennis was something he wanted to excel at in the hopes that his dad would finally see him. It didn't work. His dad merely nodded his head and said he was glad he had a hobby. He never came to a match. So, Kenji kept up with tennis only to keep himself busy – anything to avoid going back to the empty suite.

And then Karen appeared in his life.

He remembered when he met her at the theater. Like any other teen guy, he had been checking her out from behind his clean counter. He was prepared to be greeted with a snobbish smile. In his experience, pretty girls were always bitches to guys like him. Imagine his surprise when Karen looked him in the eyes, smiled softly, and politely asked for a bottle of water. He almost spluttered at the sincerity in her eyes – they were so blue. He hadn't seen eyes like that since he left the States.

He had been working up the courage to ask her for a number, but he had little experience in flirting with girls. Actually, he had no experience. He had taken his time with her order, going over in his mind for a cool way to talk to this pretty girl. But before he could ring up her order, she all but threw the money on the counter, gave him a cute smile, and ran back to the room.

He didn't think he would meet her again.

But the gods decided to have mercy on his lonely, nerdy soul. She popped up right behind him for the entrance exam at school. Surely, this was fate. She even sat next to him! He had a hard time concentrating on the test, but he wasn't worried. He was smart. He had watched her go through half a dozen pencils. And then he had noticed the time! He hurried to warn her in a discreet way and had to slash through the rest of his test. He went so fast, he broke his own pencil and the top half went smacking into another girl's head. She was so mad at him…

The gods were only so giving. The moment he met Hiei, he knew a relationship with Karen was out of the picture. He didn't know what was going on between the dark-looking man and his beautiful friend, but he was insignificant when those two looked at each other. They didn't just look – they got lost in each other's eyes.

Kenji couldn't understand how his friend could stand to be around the tall, well-built, evil looking man. The man hardly talked and if he did, it wasn't anything nice. He was always scowling with those deadly colored eyes. He had the body Kenji could only dream of obtaining. He had the perfect, husky voice that Kenji could never mimic. He was cool, mysterious, and bad. Kenji couldn't compete.

Karen had always called him a friend of the family, but it was apparent something was occurring between them. There were times when they would meet each other's eyes and it was like watching an unspoken conversation. He would smirk and she would smile. He would touch her chin to clasp the helmet to her head and her eyes would sparkle up at him. He was always watching her as if he were searching for some sort of answer to a challenging question. She was always watching him as if he were the most fascinating person in the world.

Kenji couldn't have her in a romantic way, but he was determined to keep her in his life. He didn't think they would become such fast friends. She wasn't like the other pretty girls.

They talked about everything from clique groups they hated and food they loved. They would sit in his room and listen to music for hours. Sometimes, they would dance and perform some of the popular moves going around at school. All teens had some dance moves and they might have been clumsy, but they could dance if their lives depended on it. He was actually a good dancer – mostly because he had a lot of time on his hands. They watched zombie marathons. She would hang out with him at his boring job. She came to all of his matches and cheered him on, even when Hiro's fans were glaring at her support. She introduced him to her beautiful mom and he had home cooked meals. She was his best friend.

She had been his only friend in a long time.

He missed his friend. It had been nearly five months since he last heard her voice. He kept thinking back to all their time together. She was recording her voicemail message when the principle rounded the corner and Kenji had accidently broke her phone. Kenji was pedaling up a hill with Karen standing on the back ledge to encourage him to continue in his endurance training. They had joined a small, street dance after school, trying to fit in (Keiko's orders), and surprised themselves with being able to perform the hip-hop routine (wasn't hard. That group did the same routine). They were having fun, as the music was blaring from parked cars. Of course, Hiro's group showed up (bastards were good at dancing) and challenged them to a battle. Kenji wanted to take on Hiro personally. He could do it – but Karen was pulling him away because the principle came running out to disrupt all the teenage activities. They had to hop on his bike and make a getaway.

_Damn Hiro_, Kenji cursed angrily. _You're ruining my memories._

Shaking his head, Kenji stepped off the train and onto to the platform. He moved quickly in order to avoid being toppled over by the crowd. Spotting a map board, he shoved his way through the fellow travelers. The map board read, 'Welcome to Kyoto'.

Kenji studied the map quietly and located the nearest temple. Calculating the distance in his head, he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He was going to have to catch a cab, but he had the money. Honestly, Kurama should stop funding him. Kenji had enough money to buy a car. As he was turning away, a giggle reached his ears.

Glancing over his shoulder, he met the flirty gazes of two petite girls. One girl had long, ebony hair and a pretty smile, while the shorter girl was twirling her hair ribbons around a finger. She was grinning at him from behind frost colored lips. Not wanting to be rude, Kenji smiled stiffly at them and gave them a short, choppy wave. They erupted into another series of giggles. He blushed.

Over the past few months, his physical appearance had changed greatly. He figured it had to do with Keiko's scrumptious meals. His muscles were finally putting in a show and his walk was more perfected into that casual stroll he always tried to achieve. It seemed he had been a late bloomer – too bad it had to happen when he was out of school.

But the change was annoying, because he was gaining attention from the female population. He didn't really care for the attention. He wasn't used to being ogled. In a way, it annoyed him that physical looks was the most important attribute for gaining the opposite sex's attention. Well, he wasn't going to pay attention to any female that only liked him for his looks. He wanted someone to see him for his extensive knowledge and –

A young woman flashed him a smile and he turned his head when she passed him up. Naturally, his eyes zeroed in on her backside. He grinned crookedly as she put in an effort sway for his benefit.

So he lied. He liked the attention, but putting his poor flirting skills to the test was not what he was here to – he had a job to fulfill.

Stepping outside, Kenji lifted the collar of his lightweight jacket up to shield off the wind. He glanced around and saw a group of kids shuffling about in front of a theater. He smiled sadly, remembering when he and Karen used to ride his bike to the late night show.

He didn't feel like a kid anymore.

He didn't want school to start up again. He could care less if he finished high school. His priorities in life had changed. The world was not the same anymore. What was the point of going to school when your best friend was in constant danger?

He heard a loud laugh to his right and turned his head to stare at the group of kids laughing. He watched the relaxing postures of the kids and frowned. He saw one of the guys kissing one of the girls and he turned away from them.

They probably had an easy life. They didn't know about the true world around them. They were ignorant to all the danger in this world – in the other worlds. They didn't have a best friend in hiding.

Lifting his head up, he stared up at the sky and admired the sun with a sad smile.

"_May I help you?"_

"_Yeah, the water bottle, please."_

To think, if Karen had never bought the water bottle from him at the concession stand, he would have been as oblivious to the true world, too. He didn't regret his decision to ever meeting her – he had friends now. He wasn't so alone anymore.

Shouldering his bag, he pushed his glasses up with determination. He had a temple to visit. It was time to grow up.

* * *

Today, I was babysitting the girls, because Daisuke had taken Mei to the hospital. The poor elderly woman was suffering from the flu. This chilly month was not suiting her normally strong spirit. I hoped she would get the necessary medication to overcome her illness.

This wasn't the first time I had watched the girls. I usually looked after them when Mei had checkups or when Daisuke and Mei headed into the city. Although the city schools were cancelled, the school the girls' attended was still in session. However, they were off today. Suki was old enough to watch Nukia, but the two girls were worried about their grandmother. Daisuke thought they could use some adult supervision.

I didn't mind. I loved the girls. Hiei seemed a bit disgruntled at having to suffer in the company of the two rambunctious girls, but he didn't argue with me when I told him I had agreed to watch them. If he did have a problem, what was I supposed to say? Sorry, Daisuke, but my husband wants to spend some quality time with me and we can't watch them. As if, Hiei wanted to spend quality time with me. Unless he flat out told me that he wanted to, then maybe I would tell Daisuke that we couldn't watch his girls.

Hiei was treating me a little differently than before – maybe it had something to do with all those steamy make-out sessions. I still couldn't believe he was kissing me. I couldn't believe the noises I made whenever he kissed my neck. At first, I was horribly flustered and confused whenever he would pull me toward him so aggressively. But like any girl, I swooned at every kiss. Now, I welcomed his touches eagerly, because this was the one time where he really noticed me.

At least he wasn't always glaring at me or pushing me away. He even allowed me to hold his hand and listened whenever I talked about various topics. He would make a comment or two. He laughed a few times, but I tried not to make a big deal out of those husky chuckles. I think he only laughed whenever I did something stupid. There was this one time I had to chase one of the sheets because it blew away into the woods. He hadn't even helped me, the jerk… but I loved the sound of those dark chuckles. I loved his voice.

No matter how steamy the kisses were, Hiei was always focused. I didn't think that was fair. For once, I wanted him to lose his train of thought. Nothing ever fazed him. Even if I thought he wasn't listening, he would glance up at me and give a delayed answer. I wish something would mess with his head. He messed well enough with my head.

Hiei was trying to rake the leaves today. There was so many. They were falling in rivers from the trees and splashing onto the ground in bright colors. Normally, Hiei would not have done such a domestic chore, but he was playing the part of a man taking care of his property. However, the girls ruined his plans for an easy chore. They kept jumping into the piles he had raked (I think he was cheating. He had a dozen piles in just one hour!) and throwing the leaves in the air. I decided to intervene before Hiei snapped and convinced the girls to help me with some of my chores.

My chores didn't take long. All I had to do was sweep and mop the floors. Afterward, we spent most of the morning painting. I helped Nukia paint a pig clothed in a dress. That girl loved pigs. Suki painted several pictures of flowers. I answered Suki's questions pertaining to hair. She was trying to grow her hair out and I told her that she had lovely hair. Nukia kept asking if I had that _friend_ for her yet and I coughed in embarrassment. She told me I needed to hurry up, because she was tired of being a little sister. Geeze, she was so much like her grandmother.

I cooked lunch and the girls helped. Suki was surprisingly talented at cooking. I was a little self-conscious, but she was Mei's granddaughter. Hiei ate with us and put up with the girls' constant chatter with closed eyes. Even when he didn't answer them, the girls would talk to him with excited smiles. I choked on my tea when Nukia asked Hiei why he wasn't putting her friend in my stomach. Even more embarrassing was when Hiei locked eyes with me and murmured in a dark tone that he was trying, but people kept interrupting his work. I may be inexperienced, but I caught the underlying meaning. He didn't want kids… his statement had been purely sexual.

It got a little too hot in the kitchen. I feigned ignorance to his smirk and stuffed my face with rice and meat. Ignorance was the only thing keeping me safe from any _further_ advances. I was inexperienced, but not stupid. I knew where all the kisses were leading to, but I was too confused about us to be ready for any of that right now. I was still reeling from the fact that we were intimate. Hell, I was reeling from the idea that he even wanted to do that with me.

After lunch, Hiei went back outside and I took a nap with the girls. We hadn't meant to sleep, but the food lulled us into a pile on the floor. I was surrounded by the girls' paint boxes, papers, blocks, and their heads resting on my stomach. It was a nice, lazy nap.

When we awakened, it was nearly four and we set about cleaning up the mess. I gathered up all the toys, paint, and papers, and stuffed them in their bags. Right when I finished, the familiar sound of an engine chugging echoed from outside. The girls' erupted into squeals of excitement.

"Daddy!" the girls' chorused.

I smiled when they left my side and sprinted toward their father's truck. Mei wasn't in the passenger's side but she was probably at home resting. Nukia launched herself into her dad's arms and he caught her easily. Suki was more lady-like and hugged him around the waist. I smiled at the happy family.

"Thanks, Karen!" Daisuke called out.

I wanted to ask about Mei, but Daisuke seemed relaxed. She must be doing fine. Mei was anything but weak. Instead, I lifted a hand and waved at them with a cheerful grin. Once the truck was gone, I went inside to clean some rice for dinner. Setting the strainer aside to drain the rice completely, I went outside to find Hiei.

Pulling my sweater's sleeves down to cover my hands, I walked around the house. I headed to the back where Hiei had been raking the leaves earlier in the day. As I reached the backyard, there was no sign of Hiei, only his monstrous size piles of leaves. The entire backyard was devoid of a single leaf. He had raked everything while we had been napping.

Sticking my hands in my jean's pockets, I began walking around the various piles. There was one as tall as Hiei and I ginned at the size of the pile. He had been cheating. Two monstrous size piles were fine, but a dozen was impossible for a normal man.

"Hiei," I peeked around another pile, but there were only leaves.

Not hearing an answer, I circled around the piles near the trees. There was a rake near one and I headed toward the tool with a frown. And there was Hiei sprawled on the ground with one hand behind his head and the other resting on his stomach – his lazy position. His upper body was stretched upon a bed of leaves that had fallen from the mound and one knee was bent toward the sky. He always looked so cool in his times of rest.

Smiling at his lazy position, I seated myself on the ground beside him. I thought about asking him if he was sleeping or unconscious, just for idle chat, but remained silent. I stared straight ahead and admired the sun dipping below the trees. A few birds flew in a v-pattern, beginning a late journey to a warmer place. I silently wished them luck.

Winter was coming. Mei said Shirakawa-go had early snowstorms compared to most of Tokyo and that they hit pretty bad. I was going to have to stock up on food. I didn't mind the cold, but storms were another thing. A snowstorm sounded kind of scary, especially way out in the country.

"You haven't thought about the stupid boy, lately."

Absentmindedly, I said, "what boy?" Was he talking about that boy who always helped Mei carry her groceries? Was he still fuming about that?

"No," he answered to my thoughts, and a little too aggressively. I guess the other boy was still a sore topic. "Moto," he replied coldly.

I turned toward him with wide eyes, "w-what do you mean?"

Hiei's eyes opened briefly to stare up at the darkening sky. He didn't look at me, but I could tell that he was a bit displeased over something. Did he know about my conversation with Kenji? I was careful to keep from thinking about –

He snorted derisively, "yes, I know." His gaze slid over to me and I glanced at my lap. "Did you honestly think you could hide anything from me?"

"How long," I clasped my hands together in my lap, "how long have you known?"

"What do you think?"

When he didn't say anything more, I sighed loudly and grabbed a piece of my hair. He had known the day I placed the phone call. Now I understood why he had asked about what I had done at the market. He had been giving me a chance to confess up – but I failed, horribly, too. It also explained why he accompanied me to town every week. He was making sure I did not do something against his orders again.

He had never trusted me.

Fiddling with the ends of my hair, I asked quietly, "… are you mad at me?"

He was quiet and I kept my eyes trained on my lap. "No," he said after a moment, "but you would do well to remember that I will not tolerate such dishonesty again."

Staring back at the setting sun, I sighed sadly. "Why won't you just tell me?"

"Karen, don't start," he warned.

"Do you think I can't handle it," I continued anyways. I remembered the fever and the light from my body. "Is something wrong with me?"

"There's nothing wrong with you."

"Then why were you all fighting? And the guards, why did –"

"This is exactly why you do not need to know." He finally snapped in reference to the way my voice had raised in panic.

Twirling my hair around a finger, I stared dejectedly at the ground. He was not going to budge or elaborate further on the topic. I was never going to find out what happened. So many questions and no answers – he held all the cards. But he was right. Just asking the questions had set me into a panic. If anything, I had to trust he knew what was best. He hadn't steered us wrong yet.

A sharp pain struck within my temple and I held a hand to my head. Lately, I was getting abrupt headaches. They never lasted long, but they were steadily becoming painful. I closed my eyes and massaged the side of my head. This one was lasting longer than usual. Maybe I was catching the flu like Mei – but I hadn't been sick in such a long time. I had all but built up my immune system from when I was a sickly child.

His warm hand touched the middle of my back, but I didn't respond. "You're thinking too much," he murmured in response to my unspoken musings.

His arm slid over my stomach and his hand on my back slid up between my shoulder blades. He lowered me back onto the pile of leaves and reached up to remove my hand from my temple. I turned away when he kissed beneath my earlobe.

Slightly frustrated from his refusal to tell me about Tokyo, I stared over at another pile. "Yeah," I murmured in a delay response, "it's because you won't tell me anything."

His hand reached up to brush back my bangs and he kissed my temple. He settled more against my body until he was lying on top of me. Reaching up, he turned my head toward him.

"No," I whispered as his lips trailed from my temple to my mouth, "I'm mad at you."

"No you're not," he replied against the side of my mouth.

My head was pounding, but the pain was lessening. I allowed him to pull up my wrists to place behind his neck. "There's something wrong with me," I said quietly about the headaches.

"Shh." His hand slipped under the hem of my sweater and his thumb smoothed along my side. "It's going away," he mumbled against my lips.

It wasn't fair that he had this hold over me. I always drowned in the kisses. I could smell the musty scent of the leaves. His spicy, wood sap scent filled my nostrils. The leaves were crinkling beneath me and I could hear nearby tree limbs creaking.

His hand moved down over my hip and down my jean clad leg until he reached the back of my knee. He pulled my knee up near his waist and I moaned against his mouth.

But whenever things got too far, something always happened. I was usually grateful for the interference, because I was still figuring out what was happening between us. Sometimes, I felt like he only wanted to be intimate with me, because I was this other half to the bond. If I understood our odd relationship more, maybe I would have already succumbed to his aggressive advances.

Every day, I was losing the battle in these acts of intimacy. It was only to be expected. Two people living alone with each other in the country was the perfect setup for intimacy. I don't know how demons aged, but he was older. Despite being a demon, he was also a man. He obviously had needs. I just didn't want to be this last resort that was the closest one to fulfilling those needs. He had only started these advances once we were alone, away from home – it added to my theory of being a last resort.

I was almost eighteen. Many girls my age had already gone through with this deed, some even before high school, but I had been socially awkward and an outcast amongst my peers. As an orphan, I had always been in charge of my own decisions, but this was one decision I could not make yet… I needed to hold out longer until things made more sense.

Karma was with me. The leaves at the top of the pile began raining down like a rainstorm. He cursed against my lips and I turned away to laugh loudly. The leaves continued to pour down until we entirely covered and there was earthy darkness. My laughter rang into the air while he pulled us out of the monstrous pile of leaves.

I was saved once again.

* * *

Kurama stared attentively at Lena while she talked from beside Koenma's desk. Kuwabara was leaning forward with his hands on his knees and his face attentive to the front. Genkai was sitting in a chair in a relaxed pose with her eyes closed. There was a small, blond woman seated at the front of the room with dull, blue eyes.

"These women are sensing something from another priestess?" Kuwabara asked once Lena finished speaking, "what do you mean?"

Lena smoothed a hand down her shirt before addressing the large man, "over the past month, a few of the priestess began receiving headaches. I thought maybe it was the stress of the training, but when all the priestesses started having the headaches, I knew something was wrong. These are not normal headaches. Like I said, they are intrusions."

Kurama smoothed a hand over his chin and glanced briefly at the unknown woman before them. She had remained unmoving during the entire meeting. "You explained that these intrusions were coming from another priestess, one of the three priestesses we are missing? And that they are being called to a temple?"

Waving a hand toward the unknown girl, Lena explained. "This is Nessa and she has strong mental abilities. Her mind barrier is superior. She is so tune with her mind that she is able to pick up on good and evil. As I mentioned long ago, Nessa was the one to alert us to the three missing priestesses."

"But we already know who one is," informed Genkai.

Kurama nodded his head, "Karen… do we know which priestess is doing this to the others?"

"Nessa has gone into a trance," the tall woman finished, "she responds still and she will tell you what she has told us." Turning away, Lena held her hand out to the prince. "Koenma, may we have a translation ring?" When she had the ring, she slipped the contraption onto the young woman's slender finger. "Nessa," whispered Lena to the silent blond, "will you please tell us what you are seeing?"

Nodding, the young woman stared straight ahead and answered in a monotone voice laced with a Russian accent. "A child with green eyes sits on a cold floor. He's excited. He paces in heavy boots and the footsteps echo loudly." Kuwabara felt a shiver dance down his spine. "She wonders how much longer she must endure this… it has been months. The hooded man keeps playing with her mind and every memory is warping. His voice hurts inside her head, but she must call to us, she has to call us to the temple."

When the woman's words died, Kuwabara said quietly, "it's not Karen. Karen has blue eyes."

Lena nodded and she said gravely, "I suspect you know now how serious this is – I believe someone has captured a priestess and is using her to call to the others, in the hopes that they will head to this temple."

"It's a trap," murmured Kurama and he met Lena's eyes, "and this may be Cain's work."

Lena's jaw tightened, but she nodded slowly. "He did this once before… this _is_ his work."

"We have the other priestesses detained," spoke Genkai after a lengthy silence, "and we have trained them well. Our priestesses know how to ignore this intrusion, but the other two priestesses out there are not trained. If they have a weak mind, they may flee to this temple and Cain will be free to collect their souls."

"Hiei left numerous trails, but they all turned up cold. He's effectively erased his energy and Karen's energy is too weak to pick up." Koenma read from a piece of paper to the room. "We do have an account from a hotel clerk, he described Karen perfectly – "

"I know someone who knows of their whereabouts," interrupted Kurama.

Koenma narrowed his eyes curiously. "Why didn't you inform me of this?"

Not to be hassled, Kurama met Koenma's gaze, "I did not want your people tarnishing this person's mind, as I knew they would do. This person is quite stubborn and your people would have resorted to harsh methods."

"You're protecting this person," answered Koenma thoughtfully.

"I have my reasons," continued Kurama, "and they can be trusted."

Koenma looked a bit angry at being withheld news, but inhaled deeply to soothe his overworked nerves. He fiddled with the paper a bit before setting it down.

"This person knows the location," Kurama said after the prince had calmed down, "but we will still need to search the area for their whereabouts. If I know Hiei, he's chosen an area where they will be many possible locations for their hideout, perhaps, somewhere outside a large city where dozens of unknown villages thrive, and he would have chosen an area where people would recognize the odd appearance of SDF. Hiei can act the human part and he has Karen. She has the natural ability to gain trust, even in a strange settlement. They would have already had time to effectively blend in with their surroundings."

Koenma nodded and finished with, "and so if any of the odd looking SDF members came anywhere near, Hiei would hear of it right away from the people around them. You're suggesting you go in SDF's place?"

"That's correct."

"And your contact would give up this information," asked Koenma with a wave of his hand.

"Yes," Kurama automatically replied. "And do know that if any of your men follow me to gather this information from my contact, I will not be pleased." Kurama hardened his gaze. He wasn't about to allow anyone to mess with an innocent boy's mind. "You will have this person's name in due time, because I am certain my contact is on to something that will be useful to you, but for now, you must trust me."

Once there was a lengthy silence to allow this soak into Koenma's head, the prince nodded. He leaned forward and said, "very well."

"I'll inform, Urameshi." Kuwabara glanced uneasily from Kurama to Koenma. "He can come, right?"

"It would be good idea," answered Kurama. "We might need to bring a female companion, too," he suggested. "We can pass ourselves off as tourists for the winter season."

"And Lena, Genkai," Koenma looked to the women, "we will discuss plans for locating this exact temple and how we can go about rescuing this captured priestess."

"Nessa will find the temple soon enough," replied Lena confidently. "She has been searching for hours and she is close to finding it, I am sure."

"Good," Koenma sighed a bit in relief at the news. Turning to his two spirit detectives, he said in tired voice. "If you need additional help with Hiei, contact SDF. They will arrive in due time."

The men nodded and turned to leave.

* * *

"We don't get many young people coming here to do research, but you said it's for an essay," the old monk beamed, "you must be from the University – we get a few students now and then. Be warned, that some are not translated. Some of the languages are dead, but we have plenty that will do your paper justice."

Entering a room full of scrolls and books, Kenji waited at the door and watched as the old priest crossed over to a shelf. The priest's finger's danced past a few drawers before opening one and retrieving more scrolls. Depositing them onto the desk in the room, the priest beckoned Kenji closer.

"These cover the very early years in our lands," muttered the monk seriously, "but mostly legends. It is fascinating to read and I think this is a perfect start for your theories concerning certain origins." The monk patted Kenji on his shoulder, "stay as long as you like, my dear boy. I know how important studies are for young men, so I'll leave you to it."

Thanking the priest, Kenji slid his bag off and placed it on the floor. Seating himself at the desk, he rolled open a scroll and hunched over the parchment. Before he started reading, he glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching him. There was only an old man sweeping the hall. Digging in his bag, he pulled out a steamed bun and took a huge bite. While he chewed, he scanned the contents of the scroll slowly.

He read for three hours and this was turning into another empty trail. He was getting hungry again. The steamed buns could only stave off his hunger for so long. His neck was starting to hurt, too. Tiredly, he unrolled another scroll. He must have read through the entire thing before he realized what he was reading. His eyes widened.

_In a great time of war, between humans and demons, she performed a ritual with the energy of the greatest temples to rid the land of evil. These are the accounts of such a time…_

This was the breakthrough. After almost six months of searching, he had finally found something close to what Kurama had explained to him. Temple after temple, and library after library, and he finally found what he was looking – accounts of an actual priestess. Someone had recorded the accounts of priestess in a time before Cain's rise to power.

Excitedly, he dialed Kurama's number and held the phone to his ear. He looked through another scroll and found the continuation of the account. And this scroll had information of another priestess's account… His excitement grew at all the words.

"Yes, Kenji?"

The room was filled with excited chatter as Kenji related his findings.

* * *

After calling Kurama, Kenji snapped photos of the entire texts of the scrolls with his phone. Kurama was pleased at the news and asked Kenji to meet him at a diner. Heeding the request, Kurama had explained about the man, Cain, enacting his intentions to capture the priestesses.

"This is definitely good news," remarked Kurama as he transferred the photos from Kenji's phone to his own device. "This helps greatly, Kenji… you don't know how much. It also answers the questions I had yet to ask Lena."

Kenji sipped his tea before answering, "yeah, like about why the priestesses during Lena's time had not performed that ritual sooner… because they did not know until the universe was entirely out of balance. That ritual comes only at the last moment to those remaining and the sacrifice for performing the ritual is only known once it begins." Kenji frowned as he recalled the scrolls, "from those scrolls, that particular ritual was enacted once – the reason Tamara could not go through with it wasn't because of Cain, it was because she either did not understand the sacrifice, or she was unable to give the sacrifice."

Kurama was impressed with how much Kenji was able to recall concerning the vast amount of knowledge, he had found. The boy could practically memorize texts and draw up well-rounded conclusions. "And Lena was either holding out on the information or she did not know the ritual thoroughly."

"But they wouldn't have to perform that ritual," Kenji took back his phone from Kurama once the redhead was done, "not with this other ritual I've found. All a priestess would have to do is push their unique energy into the temple's main core and it mixes with the temple's unique energy from the priestesses' of the past. It then destroys the temple. If enough temples are destroyed and the energy collected, then one chosen priestess can be given this energy and use it to destroy Cain," Kenji folded his arms, "because if Lena came back as she is, then we have to assume Cain has awaken at the same level of power he was before the rift – unless, his power is still awakening."

"I'm going to make the assumption that it is the latter choice," murmured Kurama, "because he would have acted by now." Kurama was going add to his assumption, but Kenji voiced it for him.

"He could be playing another game," suggested Kenji. "He might be playing his field, you know, like a new game of chess. A smart chess player never plays the game the same way – it's always different. He might be trying to get an angle on every action his new opponent might make before he puts his pawns into battle."

Kurama stared curiously at Kenji. This young man was more intelligent than he imagined. "Are you sure you're seventeen, Kenji?"

"No, I turned eighteen two weeks ago," he answered honestly.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" asked Kurama quietly.

Oddly enough, Kenji shrugged and turned to admire the view outside the restaurant. "Birthdays aren't a big deal." Kenji hadn't celebrated a birthday for many years. He had never had many friends, because of all the times he had moved around for his father's job. His dad usually gave him money. He hadn't celebrated since his mom… "The only one who knew was Karen," he replied in a soft voice.

Kurama watched the curious withdrawal in Kenji's facial expressions. He had known the boy for nearly six months and this was the first time he had really pried into the boy's private life. It never struck Kurama that this boy was lonely, because he hid behind a goofy act. No wonder he was stubbornly faithful to Karen. She had seen Kenji for what he was – someone in need of a friend. The two young adults bonded so quickly, because they both knew the bitter taste of loneliness.

Unfortunately, Kurama could not dwell on this young man. He had spent the better part of six months trying to coax the information of Karen's whereabouts from Kenji. But he needed the news now.

"You gonna ask again," questioned Kenji without looking at Kurama. Kurama had already told him earlier about the captured priestess calling for the other priestesses. Kenji knew his friend was in danger, but he always kept her secret safe from Kurama's prying questions. He had screwed up in the beginning, but the secret he kept locked away inside his head.

"You know she's in danger," began Kurama softly, "I've told you this, but now I need that location."

Kenji stirred his tea to avoid the man's eyes. "Hiei can protect her… he won't let her out of his sight. You know this, too."

"And what if he slips," countered Kurama. "He can make mistakes."

Kenji thought of Cain taking his friend's soul… if a soul is taken, one is lost forever. There is no place in heaven or hell for one who has lost his or her soul. It's the deadliest act one could undergo.

"You're not the only one who cares about her, Kenji." Kurama could feel Kenji's control loosening. "She's become a big part of many people's life, but we have to think what is best for her, and she needs to be placed in the proper care."

…

"_Kenji." _

The warning in the usually calm man had Kenji lifting his eyes up to meet emerald. He saw the hardened gaze, but there was trust swimming inside of the ancient eyes.

"I am not a traitor and you've known for a while –"

"It's not that –"

"Let me finish," interrupted Kurama coldly. The entire restaurant was all laughter and joy, while the two men discussed the seriousness of the worlds. "You're worried this information is not accurate. You worry that they'll have to undergo the ritual Tamara performed, and if that were to happen, you know that the few priestesses we have will have to be dwindled drastically for that to occur – which means, you're scared Karen will be one of those that will lose her soul. And even if this information is true, you know Karen will have to go and help collect this energy, and that Cain will have opportunities to capture her soul with that as well."

"This is too much to for her to carry," choked Kenji. "It's not fair for her to have this fate… to be endangered constantly. She deserves to be free from this –"

"It's not fair for any of them, Kenji." Kurama was speaking the truth. The worlds were depending too much on these women. Yusuke had known this, too. That was a reason he wanted to hide Karen from the guards. And whether he cared for Karen or not, Hiei fled with her because of the bond they shared to avoid this outcome. "None of them will be free of this fate. They were born priestesses and are always on call for when life needs them. All we can do is shoulder the burdens by protecting them until this evil is vanquished."

"You and I both know the world will never be rid of evil," remarked Kenji in a cold voice.

Kurama agreed silently and allowed Kenji a few moments to himself. Kenji pushed away his barely touched food, which was a huge sign that he was deeply affected by all of this news.

"It's unfortunate that we have come to meet such a gentle soul, isn't it, Kenji?" Kurama felt bad for the lonely young man in front of him. "That's why you were so adamant about withholding her location. You were trying to keep her from this mess, like Yusuke tried to do, and like Hiei is doing."

Kenji covered his face with his hands and bowed his head.

"But we have to account for Karen's choice if she knew –"

"She would want to help in any way she can," came Kenji muffled response.

"Because she's a priestess," finished Kurama.

...

...

...

"Shirakawa-go," murmured Kenji miserably.

"Thank you, Kenji."

* * *

Medicine didn't work for the headaches. I was having a hard time sleeping. I felt anxious, like there was somewhere I needed to be. I could hardly focus on any activity. The only time the pain went away was when Hiei was distracting me long enough with his kisses. I think he could feel the pain in my head, because he always knew when they occurred.

I never complained at the pain. I didn't want to become a greater burden to him, like the night I had the fever. I also didn't want to aggravate him with any complaints.

Staring out the window, I watched the snow whipping around in a frenzied dance. The wind was howling like some sort of beast and making the walls tremble with each gust. I hoped the roof would stay intact during the snowstorm.

The electric lanterns flickered and I glanced up uneasily at the ceiling. The wind gave an almighty lurch and the sounds of voices whispered through the walls. I shivered. I had never been in a snowstorm in the country. New York had some intense snow, but I was always surrounded by kids.

"There's nothing out there but snow, you little fool," whispered Hiei against my ear.

"Is the roof going to hold?" I stared at the nearest lantern as the lights flickered again.

He didn't answer. Hiei wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against him. "You're trembling. Do you not know when you're cold?"

I stared back outside and met Hiei's eyes through the windowpane. I swallowed nervously. His eyes were a deep red… again.

For the past few weeks since the headaches started, his eyes were darkening more and more. He could make the headaches go away with his ministrations, but being my personal aspirin was taking its toll on whatever control he seemed to possess.

"Come to bed," he murmured against my neck.

"It's too early." I tried to reply lightly, but the words came out in a whisper.

"Come to bed."

I closed my eyes to avoid his eyes in the window's reflection. "I need to start on dinner."

His lips trailed along my temple. My headache was leaving. "Dinner can wait."

The next words that left my lips sounded unsure, and more like a question, "… I'm not ready?"

"Yes you are," he growled roughly, as if to make me believe that I was ready for the finally act that came in any intimate relationship.

He didn't allow me to make another excuse and scooped me up into his arms. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I stared at his face. The lights flickered with every step he made to the bedroom, as if in a forbidden prelude to what was to come. I was strangely captivated by the way the shadows past over his handsome face.

It was footsteps away from the bedroom when I snapped out of this hypnotizing hold and stammered silently for an excuse to flee. _Karma, where are you? _I thought wildly. I had to think rationally! What the hell kind of couple were we? Were we even a couple or was this merely a game he was carrying out to satisfy his much more experienced ways? He knew I was a virgin, because I had all but blushed, like a schoolgirl, once he read my thoughts concerning him being the first to kiss me! Did he get off on that idea of taking my chastity as a challenge? This was a huge leap for a girl like me – a girl greatly confused by him, her own being, and the worlds.

I knew he can never love me. There were many things I didn't know about him, but that was one thing I did know. He will never love me. I had known from the beginning. He trusted no one. He preferred silence to company. He was annoyed with my emotions and I tried to keep from displaying them too much to spare him.

Yet, I wanted him, too. Even so, I wanted to know one thing. Despite the answer, I would give myself to him because I… I blinked away the thoughts, unable to finish them.

"Do you even care about me?" I asked hurriedly as he took that first step into the bedroom.

He paused and he turned his head to meet my questioning gaze. I watched his irises, drowning in that murderous color. There was a flicker of some foreign emotion in the depths of his burning eyes and he opened his mouth – but then he clamped his mouth shut. He went oddly still and his arms tightened around me.

"Hiei," I asked tentatively after a long moment.

He tilted his head to the side and his eyes were narrowed. He appeared to be listening for something and I remained silent, as if he unknowingly ordered me to be quiet.

Without a warning, he set me on my feet and blurred away. I stared blankly at the empty bedroom. He had simply vanished. The house was quiet, save for the wind – there was the sound of the front door being slid open.

Hiei's abrupt departure and the storm were making my nerves tingle in fear. Did I piss him off with my question? Gathering some courage, I tiptoed to the front room. The door was open and snow was splashing across the floor. Rushing forward, I hurried to slide the door shut.

"Fucking storm…"

I frowned. Did I just imagine hearing the wind cursing?

"Have some respect," yelled an oddly familiar voice. "I'm a lady! That's a vile word. You've been cranky for the entire ride!"

"Yeah," answered the cocky voice, "well, who wouldn't be after hitting up two villages during this damn storm!"

"If anyone should be cranky, it's me!" A deep, raspy voice roared. "My car is the one that broke down!"

"Please, must you bicker in this storm?" questioned an annoyed, smooth voice. "Let's just ask to seek shelter…"

_Stranded people_, I thought curiously. Who on earth would travel about in this storm? I squinted through the snow and could make out four shadows huddling together. Once the people came into view, I thought this was a dream.

"Karen?"

I almost wept at the sound of her British accent. She was huddled beneath Kuwabara and Yusuke's outstretched arms, as they shielded her from a majority of the snow and helped her wade through the snow on the ground. When they approached closer, she pushed through the snow and leaped up the three steps like a gazelle. I could hardly move until she wrapped her arms around me. I knew this was no longer a dream.

"Botan," I cried in joy. "Botan, y-you're okay!" I leaned back and touched her shoulder softly. "I was so worried about you!"

"Oh, my," she cupped my face and gave me a watery smile, "look how beautiful you've become – your hair is so long!" More seriously, she frowned and her eyes sparkled with guilt. "I'm so sorry about what happened. I promised not to drop you! I left you entirely unprotected. You don't know how horrible I felt –"

"Botan, stop," I shook my head. "We're both fine," I pointed out logically. When she nodded and calmed down, I asked curiously, "not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," she explained. "The boys and I were searching all day! I knew I couldn't allow these men to crowd you, so I came along," she waved a hand over her face, "bringing a friendly and beautiful face!"

And the boys came trudging up the steps. Botan and I headed further into the house to make room for them. The first one I noticed next was Yusuke. Bits of frost were stuck to his face and he shook his head like a wet dog. When he was finished, he smiled at me. Mimicking Botan's welcome, I leaped into his waiting arms. The snow from his coat soaked into my sweater, but I ignored the ice. His booming laughter made me grin as he lifted me slightly off the floor.

"My sumo buddy," he exclaimed in his familiar drawl, "six months, kid. You were supposed to greet me first."

"I heard Kanta won again." I grinned over his shoulder. "I heard about it in the village." When he snorted in annoyance at the last sumo tournament, I couldn't help but say in a singsong voice, "told you he was going to win it all."

Heat licked at my neck and I glanced at the door. Hiei was entering the house from behind Kurama and Kuwabara, and his eyes were narrowed dangerously. I hadn't seen such a look in his eyes for months. Yusuke must have sensed this dark aura from Hiei, too, because he set me down on the ground. Turning, Yusuke stared at Hiei with a raised eyebrow.

"Hiei," greeted Yusuke with a firm nod. "How's it going, man?"

"What are you doing here," demanded Hiei softly, but I heard the venom laced in his voice. Very calmly, he set his sheath-covered sword against the wall.

My eyes widened slightly at the sight of his sword. He had sensed them and had gone to investigate. But these were our friends. Why was he upset at their appearance? Was there still a traitor? I glanced at my family. No. If there were a traitor, Hiei would not have allowed them into the house. He must have a way of sensing such an accusation.

There was tension in the air and I was reminded of my last night in Tokyo. I don't think I could watch them fight with one another again. Whatever the reason, it can be explained once they were settled. Hospitality was the only interference I could think of to delay a possible argument.

"How about we discuss everything after some dinner," piped Botan before I could make the request to the group. We seemed to be thinking along the same lines. Women knew food was a sure way to avoid many arguments with men. I was grateful for her presence.

"That's a great idea," I agreed with the taller woman. I met Hiei's eyes briefly and he didn't look too happy. I turned back to the room and beamed brightly, "I was about to start dinner anyways." I pointed to Yusuke's coat, "and you guys should probably take those off."

Yusuke shrugged out of his coat and hung it up on the coat rack by the door. "You can cook," he asked with an uncertain look.

I grinned, "well, I'm not the best cook, but I've had practiced." Thinking of all the meals I had cooked, I grimaced inwardly. The overcooked stir-fry danced before my eyes. I had a lot of practice.

I wanted to greet Kurama and Kuwabara once everyone was settling more comfortably in the living room, but Kurama strangely shied away by saying they we were all too cold for any more proper greetings. There was some sort of emotion dancing in his eyes, as if he were warning me to stay for now. I found that odd, but Hiei agreed, because he told me to change my wet sweater.

Heeding his order, I reached for Botan's hand and led her to the room. She didn't seem to do well with the cold and was shivering violently. Out of concern for my friend, I gave her some clothes and made her change immediately. Before setting off to make dinner, I grabbed every blanket in the house and handed them to my friends. I didn't want anyone getting sick.

* * *

Hiei allowed Karen her brief time with _these_ friends, but he wanted answers. The only reason he allowed his former comrades into the house was because he knew it had something to do with the pain plaguing his mate.

They were not normal headaches. Because he was constantly inside her head, he could feel the flare of the throbs. He would never admit it, but he was concerned with the intrusions. Someone was breaching into her mind and he was having a hard time keeping this unknown person at bay. She was easily distracted, but sooner or later, that pain was going to overcome any ministration he inflicted on her body. His jagan could only do so much… he didn't trust his Eye to remain too deep or too long into her mind. Reading thoughts was fine, but fighting against something in her mind could hurt her.

There was the familiar prick, stronger this time, and his hand automatically settled Karen's knee. She didn't acknowledge the pain, but she was staring down into her bowl of miso soup. The moment his hand landed on her knee, he didn't miss Yusuke's startled gaze.

That was another thing. There were too many males around his mate. His natural instinct was to challenge them, but because he knew the men, he had enough control to keep himself tolerant of their presence… for now.

Kurama was the only one who sensed the claim he had placed upon Karen. The fox always used his nose and did not miss the scent he had placed around his chosen mate. Not only that, but Kurama was quick to realize that he needed to stay away. He had discreetly kept the Idiot away, too.

When his mate's head continued to throb, he quickly left her mind and began scanning the room for his answers. His eyes settled on the big oaf next to the Detective.

* * *

"This is great miso," compliment Botan with a sleepy grin. She had finished slurping her third bowl and was happily rubbing her stomach.

"Thanks," I shook away my headache and returned to my soup, "but it's not my recipe –"

Yusuke was giving another derisive snort under his breath and we glanced at the man. He had been doing that all throughout dinner. I glanced sideways at Hiei. And Hiei had been glaring at Yusuke, whom was returning the glare with his own scowl.

"Really," said Botan a little too loudly. She was trying to lighten the mood. "No, you can take credit – we women do it all the time!"

"It's almost better than Yukina's," joined in Kuwabara. He had been trying to ease the tension throughout dinner with us. Kurama had remained completely silent during the meal. Not one word slipped from his lips. He was brooding over something.

"Kuwabara, we both know that is a lie," I replied with a smile. "Yukina cannot be outdone."

He guffawed around the rim of his teacup. "True, but –"

"_No,_" replied Hiei coldly from my side. We were only joking about Yukina. Was he replying – no, this was entirely different. He was staring at Kuwabara intensely.

"Eh," Kuwabara blinked in confusion, "what do you –"

"Hiei," interrupted Kurama for the first time since dinner started, "you cannot avoid –"

"I've kept her from harm's way this long, do not think –"

Yusuke must have realized what was going on, because he interrupted Hiei. "Look, Hiei, I don't like it any more than you do, but I care –"

"I don't care what your reasons are," muttered Hiei darkly. "Karen, go to the room."

I gazed over the rim of my cup, "w-what, but I don't under –"

His eyes flashed over at me and his furious gaze seeped under my skin. "_Do as I say_."

I flinched at the harsh warning in his tone, one he hadn't used since we left Tokyo. Automatically, I hurried to lean up.

"_Don't you talk to her that way_," spat Yusuke angrily.

"You stay out of this," growled Hiei.

"We need to discuss this in a calm matter," interjected Kurama hurriedly.

They were fighting again and words were being thrown around violently. I was trying to keep up, but this damn headache was throbbing terribly. All of yelling sounded far away and I stared down into my tea. I was still clutching my teacup.

"Karen isn't just your responsibility," yelled Yusuke.

"Yusuke, you don't understand," warned Kurama, "the matters have complicated between the two!"

The wind must be blowing harshly against the house, because I could hear it howling in an echoing scream. I glanced back up and noticed the men standing. Botan was huddled next to my side as she watched the argument unfurled. She was frowning with every word.

"Yes, she is," replied Hiei in a low, possessive voice, "she is _my_ responsibility."

Yusuke laughed harshly, "since when?" Narrowing his eyes, Yusuke lowered his voice, too, "all you've done is pushed her around since the beginning! Do you think I didn't notice how coldly you treated her by ignoring her? You put the connection in constant danger by your damn retreats – so what, now that you've had her all alone –"

A cruel smirk graced Hiei's face, "you think I've taken advantage of her, Detective?" His eyes hardened in fury, but his words were uttered in a whisper. They were meant to add to Yusuke's anger. "What makes you think I didn't in the beginning?"

The table trembled violently as Yusuke reached across the table and grabbed Hiei by the front of his shirt. The cups and plates clattered to the floor, shattering into tiny pieces. I pushed back the pain and observed the fight with wide eyes.

"Hey, Urameshi," huffed Kuwabara. He snaked an arm from behind Yusuke and over his chest. Wrapping his other around Yusuke's waist, he began heaving back with all his might. "This is Hiei – he's lying!"

"How dare you guys," Botan scolded angrily. "Talking about Karen this way – it's entirely uncalled for! We need to be discussing –"

"This is getting out of hand," interrupted Kurama in a surprisingly loud voice. He tried to help Kuwabara by prying Yusuke's hands from Hiei's shirt.

But something must have passed between the two men. Hiei's smirk widened and Yusuke ripped away from the men holding him back. Yusuke and Hiei blurred across the kitchen. The walls trembled as Yusuke pinned Hiei to the wall. A majority of the dishes in the cabinet rained down onto the ground and mimicked raindrops in piercing 'pings'.

"Stop it!" I hurried over to stop the fight from escalating into violence. "Stop fighting!"

They didn't listen. The voices grew louder until my vision began swimming. I eyed the cup still within my grasp and watched the blurry porcelain slip from my fingers. There was one last throb and the world went black.

* * *

Hiei's eyes darted to the side and he saw Karen slipping to the ground. Ripping Yusuke's hands off of him, he caught her before she could hit her head. Cradling her in his arms, he knelt to the ground to peer into her face. She was unconscious and pale. His hand flew up to her forehead and brushed back her bangs. He tried tapping into her mind, but there was nothing there. There was a strange tightening in his chest.

Hurrying to Karen's side, Botan fell to her knees and reached for his mate's head. Furious, Hiei pulled Karen away from her hand with a hiss. Startled, Botan retracted her hand as if she were burned.

"You've done this," accused Hiei coldly to the room. "None of this would have happened –"

Yusuke pointed a finger at Hiei. "It's you! You've done something to her!"

"SHUT UP!" roared Kuwabara in a booming voice. The room fell silent at his startling yell for everyone to stop arguing. Breathing heavily from his roar, Kuwabara waved a hand over at them, "you two have been at it since dinner started! You two are both to blame, dammit!"

After a lengthy silence, Hiei said quietly, "you contacted SDF." He could feel the strange energies approaching, but he only continued to hold Karen against his chest.

He stared down at Karen's pale skin and cursed silently. He could feel her low pulse rate. This was not a simple fainting spell and she appeared coma-like, something that only happened if her mind was deeply disturbed. He couldn't get inside her head. He couldn't hear her in any way.

His natural instinct was to take her and run, but there was another instinct that made him stay. Her safety was now entirely out of his hands. He had to seek help from his enemies and that knowledge was the only thing keeping him rooted to the ground.

"You three go greet the guards and relay a message to Koenma concerning Karen's state," ordered Kurama.

Yusuke looked like he wanted to argue, but Kuwabara was shoving him out of the room. Botan hurried away to follow Kurama's surprising demand. Kurama rarely ordered them around, but he seemed to want to give Hiei space. She gave one last worried look to the young woman before rushing to the front door.

When they were alone, Kurama approached Hiei cautiously. "The headaches were getting worse, weren't they?"

Hiei kept his eyes trained on Karen's face.

"She doesn't have the proper training. She couldn't fight this priestess's call."

The situation had grown complicated. Kurama had known the moment he caught the claim Hiei had placed upon Karen. Hiei would not be loyal to anyone but her now. Kurama had to work with that idea if he was going to get Karen placed in the proper care.

"Karen has a special soul, Hiei. You'll need to accept that gift about your mate." When Hiei didn't answer, Kurama brought up another topic. "You didn't explain what you have done to her, have you, Hiei?"

"Hn."

"Hiei, Yusuke will find out eventually," explained Kurama. "If Karen did not agree willingly, Yusuke will not be happy. He feels he has a responsibility over her."

"I am not ignorant of such things." Hiei knew his scent claim could be constantly challenged and erased by another's energy interference. He knew Karen was not tied down to him as heavily as one is with a bite mark. He would spend the rest of his life defending his claim on her and he said so, "I have made my claim and I intend to keep it."

Nodding softly, Kurama lowered his gaze. "I want to warn you, Hiei. Karen is a human girl with many emotions. You can't treat her so callously or she will leave."

"She made her choice," replied Hiei darkly.

Kurama closed his eyes. Demons rarely ever had a human mate. Mating happened between the two, but a claim was different. Demons had instincts, very strong instincts, that a human may constantly toe over accidently. Yet, the fact that Hiei didn't attack them on sight was the reason why Kurama was respecting this situation. They should have all been dead. Hiei had more control than any demon. He had always been that way, like with his dragon.

Kurama opened his eyes and stared at Karen. He cared for her greatly, but in a platonic sense. She was bright and friendly – and the only one who never pushed or tried to set up another blind date for him. That was a good a bond as any, because he was outnumbered by all his friends. She was a good friend.

But he worried for this young woman. Kurama knew Hiei's nature, that he may only be doing this because she became something possessive. He didn't even think Hiei saw how beautiful and kindhearted she was, that she deserved more than just 'trying' – one day, she was going to want something more. Humans can push emotions back, but eventually it comes out in full force. She didn't deserve to be pushed into the shadows.

As long as he didn't hurt her and she accepted him (he'd push the topic until Hiei told her), he'd assure Koenma that the claim was safe. Koenma was sure to panic if he knew that they were mates, but Hiei was stable.

And it wasn't permanent. They could both walk away. They were not tied by death, but they were by the connection – of course, that would lengthen greatly one day. If she one day needed to walk, she'd have the support of her friends.

…

…

…

"If you care for her at all," began Kurama after a few minutes of musing, "you will allow us to help her."

"_Do you even care about me?"_

Remembering her words, Hiei scowled at her face. His hands almost shook as her soft voice echoed inside his mind. _Do you see what the hell you've done to me, _he thought hatefully at her unconscious form. Without answering Kurama, Hiei lifted Karen gently and headed to the awaiting guards. He cursed with each step.

* * *

"You think I am withholding information," inquired Lena when Kurama relayed his musings from Kenji's findings. They had all finished discussing the latest information from Kenji's research.

"Did you know? Or is as the scroll discusses?" Kurama pinned her with a steely gaze. "Was this ritual only known to the last priestesses remaining?"

Lena stared at the ground. "Yes, it happened when there were only fifty priestesses left –"

"Wait," interrupted Kuwabara, "I thought that there were four priestesses left when the ritual was performed?"

She nodded, "there was, but they didn't act on the vision until the very end." Staring quietly at her hands, she recalled her past. "A vision came to the last fifty priestesses, what the vision was, I do not know. My sister never told me. They would not tell any of us. Immediately, the priestesses gathered in a council to discuss this vision. I could only understand bits and pieces. They were arguing about a ritual," Lena frowned in thought, "something about the souls calling for order, but they were arguing if they should heed the demand. A handful said they would be making an unwise choice and that they did not understand the sacrifice correctly." Emotions masked, Lena glanced back up, "but they decided not to go through with the ritual… until the end, when there was only four left. They made the decision and chose Tamara, because she was the strongest among them."

"The ritual messed up because she could not go through with the sacrifice, correct?" asked Kurama calmly.

Lena's eyes flashed and Kurama knew this must be a horrid memory for the beautiful woman, but she nodded. "I have to assume so."

Koenma pinned his eyes on Lena. "Where was this ritual performed, Lena?"

Lena was quiet for a long time and Koenma could see she was struggling to remember. "Strange, but I do not know." She massaged her temple, "I remembered a gold room. Everything was gold… and the altar stretched high into the air, seeming to touch the sky. As for the location, I cannot remember. It is all blurry."

"Well," Koenma pressed forward to reclaim everyone's attention, "now that the ritual is cleared up, let's discuss Mr. Moto's findings."

"What?" Yusuke started at the young man's name, "Kenji, Karen's friend?"

Kurama had relented to giving Kenji's name, as it would not do well to claim this finding in his name. The prince had been grateful for the trust Kurama had placed in him and assured Kurama that no harm would come to the boy. In fact, he would need to think of a way to thank the young man.

"Yes, he was the safeguarding Karen's location," replied Koenma with a smile. "She chooses friends quite well. Kurama could not get the boy to relent to his interrogation for," Koenma glanced at a paper with a raised eyebrow, "what was it, six months?"

Kuwabara ribbed Kurama in the side with a cat-like smile, "must be losing your touch, eh, Kurama?"

Kurama refrained from responding to the jibe and turned to Koenma. "Shall we discuss our plans concerning the captured priestess? The temple she is calling them to," he glanced at Lena, "has been discovered, correct?"

"Yes," said Lena from beside Genkai, "and we should discuss the plans concerning the ritual Mr. Moto found – it should be simple for any priestess to perform. If Cain is indeed at the power he was when he was in my time, then destroying the temples and gathering the energy is our plan for defeating him. We have to hope this ritual works. Cain is too strong to be defeated in any other way."

As the room began erupted into murmurs, Hiei stared out the window in a bored manner. His eyes landed on a building from across them where he knew Karen was being watched by a fellow priestess. The lightening streaking in the sky reminded him of her eyes and he forced himself to return to the conversation. He had to become involved in this matter now.

* * *

Leaning against the corridor's wall, Takeo heard cold laughter echoing within the ancient temple. A scream wailed in the distant and he lowered his eyes to the ground. The laughter was deep and cruel, dripping with malicious enjoyment. And beneath this maniac laughter, Takeo heard the choked wail of the little girl from within the nearby room.

He placed his hand against the wall and pushed off to stride down the corridor. His boots thudded against the floor as he moved farther away, leaving behind the maniac laughter and the piercing cry.

The laughter faded but the screaming never stopped.


	27. He Witnessed a Murder

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any anime's characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Seven: He Witnessed a Murder

* * *

Hiei had attended meetings all throughout the night and for a majority of the day. He had to endure Koenma, SDF guards, and a handful of ugly, ass ogres for hours at a time to get a proper grasp on the situation. He didn't give a damn about the other priestesses. The only reason he was involving himself in this matter and offering his assistance was because of the demon threatening the one priestess that constantly plagued his mind.

He wanted to stay out of this situation. He tried to avoid this mess, but once that demon inflicted the pain on his mate, he could no longer remain ignorant to this priestess business. His mate was a priestess. He had to ensure that she was safe at all times and if that involved him having to join this cause to keep her protected –

He eyed the woman resting upon the bed.

He would do what he must for his mate.

She was still unconscious. She had remained unmoving for the entire day. He had checked on her after every meeting and she never stirred. Lying beneath silky sheets, he observed her slender form. He knew she was smaller than he was, but seeing Karen so utterly frozen beneath the sheets made her look too delicate. She was easily breakable if he were to apply even an ounce of his true strength against her smooth skin. He already knew a second of his strength could cause bruises, but he tried not to think of those times.

The soft, brown strands pooling around her face in gentle waves made her look peaceful. He scowled in annoyance. He didn't want that peaceful look marring her features. He wanted those sapphires flashing up at him in annoyance because of his remark on that horrid stir-fry she made. He wanted her nose wrinkling up at him because he was answering her question concerning the size of those lovely hips. He wanted to see that tint of pink to splash across her cheeks when he stared too long at her lips.

She wasn't perfect. He didn't want her to be perfect. She tripped too many times than was necessary for a normal person. She was horrible at attempting things on the first try like, kissing, cooking, tests, exploring (only she could run smack into a damn tree after tripping over her own feet) and the list could go on for miles. She was too innocent for her own good. She trusted too easily. She was too many annoying things.

Yet, she always picked herself up from the ground and laughed at her own clumsiness. She kept at things until she perfected them like all the burnt food she served him for many weeks in Shirakawa-go. She greeted everyone with a smile. She allowed him to touch her without flinching, even after he had hurt her all those times. She laughed at him when anyone else would have started sprinting once he glared.

She was so damn foolish.

And she was foolishly frozen in this bed. She didn't sleep this way. If anything, she moved too much when she slept. There were a handful of times, that she kicked, hit, and bumped against him in the beginning, but they had adapted to each other's sleeping habits. He slept on his side. She slept on her side. He never breached the distance and held her to him. He didn't do this cuddling. He drew the line when it came to such silly human acts.

Only she was slowly toeing the line he had drawn. She had started holding his hand during the long walks in the forest and he hated that he could not pull away. He enjoyed the warmth she emitted when they touched and relished the velvet of her smooth palm. And for the past month, his arm was itching to wrap around her waist when they slept. _Little fool_, he thought darkly. This was her doing. She was drawing him in to enact these soft ways. He had to control himself.

A small strand fell across her eyes and he wanted to brush the strand behind her ear. However, he did not commit such gentle acts unless he had a reason: checking her temperature, soothing her headache, tapping into her mind. He always had a reason.

She exhaled softly and the strand flickered. He waited for the piece of hair to move away from her face, but the soft strand settled against her cheek. His hand twitched at his side.

_Screw the control,_ he thought angrily. Hooking a finger beneath the hair, he slid the piece away to rest behind her ear. He willed his hand back to his side, but he found himself tracing the outline of her cool cheek. The familiar heat shot up his arm and hummed gently beneath his skin.

His eyes traveled over her face, taking in her simple features. Were they such simple features if he was relentlessly staring at her face? He stared at her long lashes, which were like curtains to keep him from seeing her blue eyes. On closer inspection, he could make out the light coloring of freckles across the tops of her cheeks. He hadn't notice the marks before, but they were there and barely visible upon her skin. He traced each freckle with his fingertip and counted them silently, storing the trait inside his mind. His gaze next slid down to her lips. They were pressed against each other, still and pale. There was no slow uplift to the corners to flash him _his_ smile.

He had never done this before – touched her without trying to tempt her into sex. And yet, there was something oddly satisfying with simply touching her without coaxing her body to respond to him. But this was a one-time thing. He would not do this again once she awakened. Like any female, Karen would try to make something out of his gentle touch and believe she had a hold on him.

He was not like other men. He did not do this loving act – no matter how much she wanted him to love. He heard her thoughts before those bastards showed up. He was ready to push past this sexual frustration she had stirred within him and end this obsession he had with her eyes, face, body, and everything else. Once they mated, it would all be done with and he would be less involved with his mate. His mind would be in the right place. He would lose his fascination with this woman. It happened all the time, the chase. That didn't mean he was giving up his claim. He was simply ending the chase by claiming the rest of her body.

But then she asked that question and her eyes were staring up at him with so much trust. He didn't want to admit it, but the question affected him in more ways than he had imagined. Regardless of his answer, he could see that she was going to accept his advances anyways. He could say no, the truth, and be a bastard. Or he could say yes, make her more accepting to him, and proceed from there.

Only, he realized that she was not asking the question because she believed he was giving into that human emotion called love. She knew he could never love her, or anyone, for that matter. Yet, she accepted him anyways. She was simply asking if he cared just a little bit – and he was ready to answer that yes, he cared just a little bit. That was all she wanted.

Then, they all showed up and here he was, brooding next to his mate. This was the longest moment he had with her alone and away from prying eyes. Yusuke was still around and so were the others, but they were attending different meetings. If any of them checked on her, he never saw them. He had only had opportunities to check on her, but sitting here beside her made the weariness of sitting through all the meetings leave his body.

He was not looking forward to what was to come. Koenma knew he had claimed Karen. He had told him, making it perfectly clear that the only reason he was assisting them was because of his mate. Any decision concerning Karen was discussed with him. Reluctantly, the prince agreed. Koenma needed him because he had strings in Demon World, especially with Mukuro.

His last meeting had been with that woman, Lena, and Genkai. He could tell they were upset that they had to run the idea of Karen's training with him, first, but he ignored the silent glowers. He was specific in telling them that the mental training was fine, but any physical training was not necessary. He did not want Karen visiting any temples. This upset them greatly. Lena argued that Karen was needed, but he had made his decision. The mental training to keep anyone from breaking into her mind again and he would provide his services in this cause – it was a take it or leave it situation.

Surprisingly, the Detective agreed with him when he joined the meeting in the midst of the argument. He didn't know that Karen was his mate. He would tell him later, but he had other meetings to attend to bother speaking with the bastard. Yusuke said that he didn't think Karen was suitable for helping shut down the temples. Reason being, one of the priestess's, some blond woman, had revealed that Karen's energy, strangely, was not registering. Hiei couldn't even feel it. It was gone the moment she fell into his arms. The woman reasoned that Karen's energy was too weak to register, suggesting no abilities whatsoever, or this was her defense mechanism to hide herself.

The reason did not matter. He was not putting Karen at risk by allowing them to use her to help shut down the temples. She was not capable of protecting herself in any way. She could hardly walk ten feet without hitting the ground. He would be damned before he allowed them to send his mate into dangerous territory.

There were footsteps approaching the door and he recognized the energy. He gritted his teeth in frustration. It was the Detective.

Waiting until the last moment, he smoothed Karen's bangs back one last time before heading over to the wall. He settled against the wall comfortably and closed his eyes to assume his uncaring stance. The way he acted around Karen was private. For the others, he was the cold, heartless bastard.

* * *

The door opened quietly and Yusuke's eyes immediately flew to his left. Hiei was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and appeared to be sleeping. Yusuke knew better. Damn demon was entirely aware of his surroundings.

He was still pissed off over the argument in Shirakawa-go. He had been watching the demon and Karen with a narrowed gaze throughout the visit. Karen visited with him like old times and they talked about sumo, Keiko, and did he pay the bills (he did). Except the entire time they talked, he felt Hiei's eyes on them.

He didn't miss how possessively Hiei hovered over Karen either, ordering her to change her wet sweater, touching the middle of her back when she was near him, and watching her converse with them in a possessive way. He saw Hiei's hand dip half a dozen times beneath the table during dinner, most likely touching her knee, and if Karen seemed bother by it, she didn't show it. She calmly sat there and ate her dinner while talking to Botan.

And he saw the little bruise against her neck, almost invisible because of her hair and the lighting. But he saw the bruise when they had been talking while she waited for the soup to finish boiling.

Hiei had never acted warmly with anyone, save for his sister. He kept to himself. Even after learning he had that connection with Karen, he kept away more times than Yusuke could count. Yusuke had to get Kurama to bribe the demon to take Karen to the movies, do something with her every now and again. Hiei could have simply dragged her around with him during his training outside, but Yusuke doted on Karen. It wasn't fair that she had to be bonded to someone who didn't give one shit about the world. So he bugged the demon into dropping her off at school before he went off to Demon World and had Keiko make sure they ate dinner together – how Keiko managed to get Hiei to do just that, he would never know. His woman could accomplish the most astounding things sometimes.

Then, the two run off and Yusuke finds the demon suddenly interested in Karen. Yusuke wasn't stupid as people believed. He was a man, too, and could recognize a hickey any day. Hiei had Karen all alone out there for six months and Karen was too trusting. She was a good kid, but she was gullible to boot.

He might have left well enough alone and investigate everything later after discussing the reason for the unannounced visit. However, Hiei had read one of their minds and everything spiraled out of control. And then the way he seethed at Karen when she refused to listen to him made Yusuke's blood boil. She acted so quickly to his demand, almost fearfully, and everything made sense – Hiei must have taken advantage of her or had been close to doing so.

Yusuke grimaced. Hiei had even had the gall to thrive home his theory with his cruel words, too. They should have let him throttle the living shit out of him.

"What are you doing here?" asked Yusuke bitterly to the demon.

Hiei didn't even open his eyes, as he replied snidely, "no greeting, Detective?"

The silence stretched between them into a taut line, but Yusuke willed his temper down. With a tight jaw, Yusuke strode across the room to Karen. He hadn't come here to talk with the bastard. He only came to check on Karen as he had been doing when he had the chance. Stupid meetings had been non-stop for nearly twenty-four hours.

"She's fine."

Gritting his teeth, Yusuke kept his eyes on Karen. "Did I ask you?"

Hiei smirked behind Yusuke's back and answered with, "I thought I should elaborate in case you didn't get the picture, because sometimes those are too complicated for you to understand."

Whirling around, Yusuke's hands balled into fists and he would have marched over to Hiei to spit some words into his face or even slammed him against the wall, but a voice stopped him.

"Excuse me, but a fight is not necessary when there is a patient around."

Glancing toward the door, Yusuke nodded his head at Lena and dropped his fists. He shot an annoyed glare at Hiei, "just a friendly banter."

Lena only smiled and headed toward the bed. Sitting at the edge of the bed, Lena reached out and placed a hand on Karen's forehead.

"If you do not mind, I would like to try something," Lena turned and fixed her eyes on both men in a 'be quiet or get out' look, "but it requires silence."

The _look _reminded Yusuke of Genkai's evil look and he stepped away, knowing the meaning of such an expression. Hiei merely grunted and remained against the wall, not bothering to leave. Yusuke turned the only chair in the room backwards and settled into it lazily. He nodded at Lena to continue with her ministration.

Seeing that they weren't going to leave, Lena turned back to Karen. Closing her eyes, she pushed her energy along her arm and into her hand. As the energy gathered, she focused on connecting to Karen's mind. Nessa had weakened the young woman's barrier and left Lena to pull Karen from whatever was playing with her mind.

* * *

It was a tree, slightly stunted, compared to other trees, but a tree all the same. It was the tree from the orphanage and baring limbs full of forest, green leaves. I had claimed the tree, as a friend, a long time ago with a red ribbon. The ribbon represented from me to the tree, that it was not alone, even if it was separated from its kindred beyond the fence surrounding the orphanage.

Reaching for the ribbon near an uplifted root, I fingered the fade ribbon. The red was nearly washed away from years of being wrapped around the root. I smiled softly at the worn texture. It represented commitment, a dedicated bond.

Lena pressed her fingertips against Karen's forehead more firmly and inhaled deeply. She let her energy flicker into Karen's mind and pushed against the unwanted thoughts.

"Karen," she whispered.

A dark shadow fell across my hand and the ribbon, casting darkness upon us. I glanced over my shoulder and into the sky. Instead of seeing the sun, a giant figure towered over me. It was blocking out the light and covering me in darkness.

I backed away, unsure of my situation. I turned back to my tree, but this companion was fading. The limbs blurred before my eyes and the leaves trailed away into the wind. My friend had disappeared and left me alone without a word – it didn't cast a second glance.

The tree had been everything to me. It was my steady companion who had lent me comfort from the hottest rays, kept me safe, and sheltered me from the world when everything became too much. It had provided me with a firm body, one that I could lean against when my body was too tired to remain standing. It allowed me to wrap my arms around its base with no questions asked. It was strong enough to shield me from many dangers.

Where did my tree go?

I whirled around to regard the giant. The figure above was massive, reaching toward the very sun. This figure had a body, contours of a man, but they were shrouded in darkness. The giant seemed fuzzy. There were dark wisps flickering off the body in a lazy way, almost as if this giant's body was merely wrapped in shadows.

Lifting my eyes, I searched the giant's face but there was nothing to see, no human trait, except for the eyes. The eyes were a light green and an odd contrast against the dark shadows consuming its body.

The green eyes shifted toward me and I gasped in surprise. I had seen such a look before, somewhere in the real world. I had seen those eyes many times. It was viewing me in a curious manner, as if I were a strange sight to behold.

Yes, I had seen that look before.

* * *

"Karen," Lena tried again.

Opening her eyes, Lena saw Karen's hand twitch. The fingers jerked slightly in a small response to Lena's voice. The corner of Karen's eyes tightened and Lena let her energy tug on Karen's mind. She could something bothering Karen's mind – a dream of some sort. She concentrated on releasing her from this dream.

* * *

"Is this what you allow to claim you?"

I frowned at the strange voice. The voice hadn't come from the giant above me. The voice had come from everywhere and nowhere. This stranger's voice was deep and dark, seeping into the wind.

The giant did not frightened – had never frightened me to begin with, but the voice did. I stepped closer to the giant shadow. I did not shudder when the giant's shadows covered me from head to toe.

"Look at him."

The simple command made me glance up and I met the giant's eyes, unflinching as they regarded me in a calm manner.

"What is this to you?"

I stared up at this giant, completely relaxed. Those green eyes were unwavering and burned me with flames. But something was wrong – those were not the right eyes.

* * *

"She's waking up!" hissed Yusuke over Lena's shoulder.

Lena ignored Yusuke and instead fixed her eyes on Karen's face, watching as the young woman began to stir beneath her fingertips. She could feel the dark dream in Karen's mind shrinking against the glow of her hand.

Hearing a soft moan from Karen, Lena smiled and said softly, "Karen, everything is okay."

* * *

There was a gust of wind so violent and artic, I staggered back with goose bumps forming along my skin. Feeling a sharp tug on my hand, I glanced down in time to see my ribbon slip from my grasp. I reached out quickly but the ribbon twirled away. The ribbon twisted in the air in some sort of intricate dance before whipping high in the sky.

The giant stepped back and the ground trembled beneath my feet. Reaching up, the giant caught the ribbon with a shadowy hand. The shadows lashed around the giant's hand like flickers of flame. The giant studied the piece of fabric in a curious way. After a moment, the giant bent down and held the ribbon out.

Staring up at the giant, I saw the eyes flicker from a cold green to a bright red. I smiled. My tree had come back to me. With complete trust and love, I grasped the end of the ribbon from this giant of shadows.

"He'll fail. He was always meant to fail."

Hearing the words, I felt the need to touch the giant's hand. The giant jerked away as if his hand was burned and the ground shook violently while he moved back.

* * *

Hearing another moan, Lena tugged harder on Karen's mind. Yusuke's hand was fisted in the bed sheets next to Lena's knee. She could feel another presence to her right, but she forced herself to ignore the men. She needed to concentrate. She was too far inside Karen's mind to falter now.

"Karen, come back us," insisted Lena with a reprimanding tone. "Come back now."

Karen's fingers clenched the sheets.

* * *

"Time to let go," echoed the strange voice. "He's a monster."

I opened my mouth to argue, but no words fell from my lips. The giant heard the words and turned away from me. He took a step and I felt a fracture form along my beating heart.

_He's not a monster_, I argued silently.

A dark laugh reached my ears.

_He wouldn't hurt me._

The giant was several steps ahead.

_Why can't they see that?_

My eyes burned, tears threatening to fall while watching the giant walk away. He was giving up so easily without fighting against the voice. I was arguing against the voices. I didn't care.

The giant's head toward a setting sun and began blurring from view, like the tree. The shadows dissipated into wisps within the wind. I was shouting for the giant, begging him to look one last time at me… but he faded from my eyes without a second glance.

The ribbon within my hand slipped into the wind and I watched it sail away.

… _You're not a monster_.

* * *

My eyes flew open in one movement. There were voices, but I didn't respond. I stared up at the white ceiling, trying to search the trickling images of an already fading vision. The reverie was escaping like grains of sand and my cupped hands could not hang onto a single speck.

Closing my eyes, I tried to bring back the vision and force the images to reappear. There was nothing but darkness. When nothing more came, no single thought, an unknown fear wrapped around my heart. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the confusion. Fear of the silence. It was so entirely quiet within my head, as if some foreign being entered my mind and tore away the guarded secrets of my life.

"My head," I whispered, "why is it so silent?"

"Your thoughts will come back in a little bit," answered a soft, gentle voice.

There was hand against my face, but I refused to open my eyes. I didn't understand this sudden fear. I felt lost. I felt like something was closing in around me, but it had to be the confusion concerning the silence in my head.

I inhaled deeply to soothe the anxiety erupting beneath my skin. There was movement and a familiar heat nearby. "Who else is here?" I asked calmly, too calmly. It was a sign that panic was hovering at the edge of my tongue.

"Hiei and Yusuke," she answered.

"Kid, are you alright," I heard Yusuke ask uneasily.

Hearing his familiar voice made me realize that I wanted to be alone. I could not give an exact reason, but facing them now would be unbearable. Confusion and fear mixed, seizing my heart before tearing up my mind. If I was falling apart, then I would rather do so in front of a stranger than with the familiar men in my life.

"I would like a moment with Karen," stated the voice, "please."

There was a hushed argument and a familiar growl, but I kept silent until the men left. Footsteps thudded against the floor and a door slammed shut. The hand from earlier smoothed back my bangs and I opened my eyes.

She had unique colored eyes –blue and green. I frowned, thinking back to where these eyes had crossed my path. Remembering the woman's name from Tokyo, I whispered, "Lena?"

She didn't acknowledge the name, but she continued brushing back my hair. Meeting her eyes, I saw understanding flash within their lovely depths.

"There was a voice," I whispered to her, "within the dream… an endless dream, but I can't remember it."

"He is gone now," she consoled gently. "Having someone entered one's mind by force is frightening, I know."

I wanted to ask who had done such a thing. I wanted to know what had happened, but the emptiness pushed away all my questions. Now, all I wanted was comfort – I wanted reassurance that I was not alone. Hiei would never provide such comfort and I was always careful to keep from displaying too much emotion in front of him. Likewise, Yusuke was uneasy with emotions, too, and I did not want to worry him.

I wished Keiko was here, because she would never question why I wanted a hug. She had always understood the need to be surrounded in warm arms. She always knew when I needed a pick-me-up and was ready to engulf me against her kind heart. She always knew… I missed her so much.

Only, Keiko was not here. Instead, I was in a strange room with this outsider. I was in a room with this beautiful woman. But was she a stranger? When I looked into her eyes, they were kind, familiar, and strong. She had eyes like Maria and Keiko. She had eyes that promised only good things. She had eyes that said it was okay to fall apart now and again.

It was with that knowledge that I leaned up to wrap my arms around her slender body. She didn't flinch away. She didn't push me. There were no questions – no words. She simply held me against her chest and hummed lightly against my hair.

I cried.

* * *

She held the silver gun with a steady hand and locked her eyes onto the makeshift target. Bracing her feet against the ground, she exhaled slowly and allowed her body to relax. She could feel the wind against her skin. She could feel the uneven ground beneath her boots. For the time being, she was aware of everything.

Squeezing the trigger lightly, she readied herself to shoot the target, but there was movement to her left. She ducked while whirling away, avoiding the blue light that charged toward her body. The light whistled above her hair and crashed into a nearby tree. Whipping her gun around, she took aim and fired off three shots. She didn't stay to see if she hit the attacker. She flitted away.

Her goal was to hit the target.

Hitting the ground, she raised her gun again for a quick shot at the wooden post. A familiar whistle came from behind her and she acted on instinct. Flipping into the air, she quickly reached into the waistband of her pants and pulled out a second gun. In mid-air, she twisted slightly and aimed her weapons. One gun focused on the attacker while the other fixed onto the target. She channeled her spirit energy down her arms, toward her hands, and through the guns. The tips glowed brightly and two shots ripped through the air.

The target shattered and the attacker grunted.

She landed softly on the ground and stared at her weapons with a small, proud smile. Hearing a dry chuckle behind her, she met her attacker's wise gaze.

"You're ready," informed her teacher, "but are you sure about this?"

She smirked at her attacker and twisted one of her guns around a finger. "Never been more sure," she answered.

"Good."

She smiled and stared up at the sky. _Yes, good indeed, _she thought.

* * *

After leaving the infirmary, I was given a clean kimono from a ferry girl. She never gave me her name, but she was nice enough to provide me with an extra set she kept in her locker. I was even allowed to shower in the ferry girls' changing room. I guess they stayed long hours, because there was also a room with beds for taking naps.

My thoughts came back and once the silence ended, I was relieved. It felt like waking up in sunshine, instead of waking in darkness. She told me that a priestess named, Nessa, had added a temporary barrier to my mind to keep the headaches at bay. I remembered her pointing out the woman, but Nessa had been leaving the infirmary. I didn't get to take her for her protection.

Yusuke and Hiei never came back to the room, but Lena explained they were in a meeting. I was going to wait for them, but Lena said I had a meeting with Koenma. He was going to explain everything and I would finally receive my answers.

I fiddled with the sleeves of the peach kimono and watched the giant creatures running about the room in a panic. The ferry girl that had led me here to wait for my meeting said the creatures were ogres. They kept watch over any incoming spirits and human related problems. To me, it seemed like this was a stock market business. The ogres kept streaking past and yelling orders. Phones were shrilling on desktops and papers were flying in the air. It was anarchy.

The large, double doors across the chaotic room opened and people exited with serious faces. I thought I saw Kuwabara, but a large man filed in beside him. There were a dozen looking guards, those SDF people, and other uniformed people.

"Priestess Karen," greeted an ogre with blond hair. He had brought me tea earlier and kept constantly checking up at me while I waited at a little round table. "Koenma is ready to see you now," he bowed.

"It's just Karen." Smiling, I stood up and began following his large body. "If you don't mind," I said hesitantly, "but what is your name?"

The ogre glanced down at me and blinked in surprise. "Oh, I'm Jorge."

"Jorge," I repeated his name before speaking, "well, I just wanted to thank you for checking up on me. You didn't have to bring me tea –"

He broke into a grin. "No, it's no problem! I finished most of my duties," he explained happily. "This is my easy day, but I couldn't leave you there alone. You know, I'm friends with Yusuke."

"Really," I asked as I dodged around a short, red ogre.

"No," Jorge's shoulders sagged, "he's actually rude to Jorge."

I almost laughed at his comical expression. Jorge was taller than Yusuke and had bulging muscles. It was funny to see such a large creature act so glum that he was not friends with Yusuke.

Jorge opened the office doors and ushered me inside. Once the doors shut, the outside noises died away immediately. There was the hiss of paper and I searched for the noise. However, my eyes landed on a familiar demon. Hiei was standing at a corner of a desk and he was holding a phone to his ear. Seated at the desk was Koenma and he was relaying something to Hiei in a soft voice.

Taking a step into the room, Hiei lifted his head and regarded me with a cool gaze. I felt like it had been a long time since I saw his eyes. His eyes flickered over my attire while he listened into the phone and I fidgeted under the critical assessment. When his eyes landed on my face, he nodded stiffly at the chair in front of the desk. He didn't seem happy to have me in the room.

"Karen," greeted Koenma, "it's good to have you back."

Smiling, I nodded my head at Koenma and walked up to his desk. I seated myself in one of the chairs and faced him. Koenma's office was huge, but the only furniture was several chairs and his large, wooden desk. Atop the desk, there were mountains of papers and stacks of folders. I watched in fascination as a few papers flew off the desk and zoomed beneath the doorway.

"Conference meeting with Mukuro in two hours," explained Hiei once he hung up the phone.

Koenma nodded and scrawled something on a piece of paper. I had seen Koenma on a few occasions, but seeing him in his element made me nervous. I forgot he was royalty. The scarf around his neck trailed over one shoulder and seemed to add to his authority. However, there was a kind smile on his face when he turned his attention to me. This smile reminded me of the first time we had met one another in Genkai's temple.

"I apologize for the wait," he clasped his hands together. Frowning, he asked, "how are you feeling, Karen?"

I watched Hiei as he seated himself in the chair beside me. "I'm fine," I answered honestly after tearing my eyes away from Hiei, "but I'm really confused." Before he could say anything, I rushed out, "um, how are you?" I didn't want to be rude. After all, he was a prince.

Koenma was silent a moment and he stared at me with a peculiar expression. After a solid moment, he chuckled in amusement. "You know," he began, "I can't remember the last time someone asked me that question." He leaned back in his chair and relaxed with a sigh. "I'm good, thank you for asking."

We were all silent and I heard a clock ticking behind me. Hiei was sitting casually in the chair and I stared at his knee. I felt like touching him, but Hiei was not one for tentative touches. There was another sigh and Koenma shifted in his chair. I waited patiently.

"It's a shame that I can't take you outside to explain this," began Koenma quietly.

I was reminded of the time Koenma had explained my situation underneath a tree. The memory was such a long time ago. Remembering the conversation back then, I said, "I trust you, Koenma. I won't freak out."

Nodding his head, his expression turned serious. "You're a priestess, Karen," he began right away. "A priestess was once an ancient race of human women back when humans resided in Demon World. I never told you, but Human World and Demon World were once just one world until my father had a barrier constructed." He paused to allow the information to sink in before continuing, "What is unique about this race was that a priestess had a pure soul. It is rare for anyone to have a pure soul. Everyone, beside a priestess, has good and bad in one's soul. Likewise, the universe is much the same way. Good and bad are similar to light and dark – it creates balance."

I stared at my hands and absorbed the information. I wanted to hear him completely before erupting with questions.

"Unfortunately, pure souls attract those with damaged souls, dark ones – and those types of souls are ones who will want to capture a priestess's soul because a pure soul harnesses unique power." He twiddled his thumbs for a moment and Hiei shifted a bit in his chair. "There are, as far as we know, a total of twenty-three priestesses. We have, in our custody, twenty-one, and that includes you."

I thought of the fight in Tokyo and the appearance of the guards. While he paused to sip some water, I asked quietly, "that's why the guards wanted me?"

"Yes," Koenma set the glass down, "we needed to keep the priestesses safe and provide them with necessary training. You see, priestesses were thought to be extinct for centuries. In fact, they were dying out, but as Lena will later tell you, priestesses will always arise when the universe has need for them unless it is too corrupt… which has never happened before."

I asked in a hesitant way, "has… has something happened to throw it out of balance?"

And Koenma began the history lesson concerning priestesses. He explained about the last generation of priestesses. He talked about Tamara, Cain, and the ritual last performed. He told me about the temples scattered in the worlds and every way a priestess's soul can be tarnished. There was the mentioning of guardians and high guardians. It was all flowing into my ears.

Cain was now in every sentence and the mere name brought unexplained fear to dance along my spine. He was supposedly alive and he had captured a priestess. He was the one setting things in motion. He was using her to call us to a temple. He had broken inside my mind. And he had to be this strange voice that had whispered inside my head from the lost dream.

With every word from Koenma, my stomach twisted violently. I wished I could have been present when the rest of the priestesses had to undergo this frightening conversation, but there was only Hiei and Koenma. Perhaps, with the other women I might have fared better. We could have reeled together with this information. The fear would have been mutual. The fear would have been shared.

My soul was a steroid for power. Demons, maybe even humans, were drawn to my pure nature. Cain had ways of extracting souls. He could alter memories. He had wiped away hundreds of priestesses in his time and now, we only had twenty-three. He was hunting us down to finish what he had started long ago. If Cain was at the power he had been then, destroying twenty-three priestesses would be no problem. We were it. We were all that was keeping the worlds in balance. If we perished, darkness would shroud the universe. It would be hell.

We sat in silence, but for how long, I could not remember. My mouth was dry and had been for some time. The damn clock was ticking loudly again. I had always had a problem with time.

"Karen?"

Avoiding Koenma's eyes, I asked in soft voice, "m-may I have some water, please?"

Filling a glass from the pitcher on his desk, Koenma leaned forward to hand me the drink. I was ready to jump for the cool liquid until Hiei reached for the glass with his longer arm. When he handed me the cup, I refused to meet his eyes. I didn't want him to see how scare I was at this doomsday talk.

While I took a long swallow, I thought about the people in my world. If everything went dark, they would suffer under Cain's dark reign. He would ruin the goodness in this universe. There would be no more sunlight to warm any nature lovers. It would be dark and gray – a permanent storm. People like Maria, Jesse, Mei, her granddaughters, Keiko… everyone would suffer.

My voice was much stronger when I asked Koenma, "what's being done? You mentioned training?"

Clearing his throat, Koenma nodded, "yes, Lena and Genkai have been training the priestesses. They've been quite successful, too. However, you do not have any special abilities. Nessa, one of the strongest mentally trained priestesses checked you for any powers and you reveal nothing. Strangely," he regarded me with a curious frown, "your energy has disappeared, too. It happened when you instinctively threw up a barrier against Cain's intrusion. Energy wise, you're completely invisible, but your human scent is still recognizable."

"Will I be training?"

"Yes, Lena will be training your mind."

The way he stated his sentence made me think there was more than just one type of training. "What other training is there?"

"Well, Genkai has been working on the physical training. She's bringing out abilities and teaching survival skills to help with the plan we will be using against Cain."

At my curious look, Koenma rested his chin on his clasped hands. "Your friend," he smiled, "Kenji Moto has been very successful in finding information concerning priestesses." I perked up a bit at the sound of Kenji's name. "He discovered a ritual that may be able to put a stop to Cain. It involves the temples. Any priestess can send energy into the temple's core, which we believe to be the prayer room, and it mixes with the energy that has resided in the temple from priestesses' of the past. Once that is done, the temple is destroyed. If enough of this unique energy is collected, it can be handed off to a chosen priestess, who will then have enough energy to destroy Cain. It may be the only thing to work if he is indeed at full power – if not, well, it is better to be safe than sorry."

"That's what the survival training is for, isn't it – for the temples?" I licked my lips. "How come I'm only going through with the mental –"

"Because you are not going to be involved in shutting down the temples," answered Hiei in a cold voice.

Turning to Hiei, I stared at him in confusion, "but that's not right. There are so few priestesses," I ignored the way his jaw tightened as he narrowed his eyes dangerously, "and who knows how many temples are going to need to be destroyed in order to have enough energy to destroy Cain."

"You have no unique abilities to contribute to this," he explained darkly.

"Koenma said that any priestess could –"

"That doesn't mean you –"

"But they're stretched too thin." I was careful to keep from raising my voice while in Koenma's presence, but the tone of my words caused Hiei's jaw to tighten more. "This is not your decision –"

"Do not go there, Karen," warned Hiei in a low voice.

"Yusuke has agreed with this decision, too, Karen," interrupted Koenma.

Frustrated, I returned to Koenma's hazel eyes. His eyes were sparkling with an unsaid apology. Sinking into my chair, I felt my head aching again. This time, it was a headache at the all the news and the decisions being made for me.

I think there was something Koenma wanted to explain, but instead, he said, "it is, perhaps, for the best, Karen. You show no powers and these temples are no cakewalk. They are dangerous and filled with obstacles to put any survival camp to shame."

I wanted to argue against this forced decision, but there was a knock at the door. When the door opened, an ogre came rushing forward with a stack of papers. After conversing with Koenma in hushed tones, the ogre made a hasty exit.

"I think I've explained just about everything to you, Karen," announced Koenma. Giving me a small smile, he said sincerely, "I know this is frightening, but I promise you that we are doing all we can to keep you and every priestess safe. This is a lot to take in," he continued softly, "just know that you are not alone."

When I didn't respond, he turned to Hiei and said, "I'll give you a few minutes before starting the next meeting."

Hiei stood and I stared at the carpet in silent fury. After a few seconds, Hiei touched my arm briefly and my skin tingled at the slight contact. Sighing, I bid goodbye to Koenma. "Thank you for explaining everything, Koenma."

"As I said earlier, it's good to have you back."

Giving Koenma a polite smile, I followed Hiei toward the door. Once we were outside the office, he led me toward a deserted corridor where large windows overlooked the foreign world outside. There was nothing but an endless sky of billowy clouds.

"I deserved a decision in this," I said softly while staring out the window.

"You're not able to make that decision."

Lifting my hand, I placed my palm against the glass. The cool surface chilled my hand and I rested my forehead against the window, soaking up the refreshing coolness.

He was not going to budge. Yusuke was not going to budge. I was horribly outmatched, because they believed I could not handle this dark news. Maybe they were right – I wasn't sure of anything anymore.

How can I belong to such a race where the universe depended on my soul? I wondered if the other priestesses were scared. I wondered if I was the only one feeling sick from the sound of Cain's name. My own world felt like it was ripped out from beneath my feet and yelling for my soul – a cry for me to help, but I was unsure of what to do. I didn't know what to do.

Hiei's warm arms wrapped around my waist and his chest pressed against my back. He pressed a soft kiss against the back of my neck. With that one kiss, the noise from the chaotic room beyond the hall faded away like a gentle breeze.

"You're tired," he muttered in my ear.

I sighed wearily. I did feel tired. I know I had been out for an entire day, but my mind was exhausted. It was as if I had not slept during that mini coma.

Turning around in his arms, I stared up into his face. There was just a hint of fatigue in his crimson eyes and I frowned. "So do you." I thought back to when Lena said he had been in a meeting. Then, I had taken a shower and waited for an entire hour for my own meeting. Hiei had been in Koenma's office before I entered. Now, he was fixing to have another meeting. "How many meetings have you been to?"

He leaned down and nipped at my lower lip. He did not answer the question directly, but instead, he said, "this is the last one."

Placing a finger beneath my chin, he lifted my face more to brush his lips firmly against my mouth. He was extremely affectionate and I felt my insides quiver. I gave in to the slight ministrations and opened my mouth to his probing tongue. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pressed myself against him and returned his kiss eagerly. A soft moan purred from my throat when his tongue stroked intimately against mine.

"Hiei," I whispered against his lips, "w-with everything that is going on, what about us –"

"Later," he breathed into my mouth. He pressed one more lingering kiss and pulled away. Slowly, he stepped away from me. "I'll be done in half an hour," he explained firmly about his last meeting. "Don't wander too far," he warned.

I watched him walk away.

Sometimes, it felt like I was always watching him walk away.

* * *

Hiei's meeting actually lasted nearly two hours. I spent most of the time visiting with Jorge. He was rather amusing and charming. He revealed an astounding amount of stories concerning Yusuke and Hiei, like Genkai used to tell me. He was especially excited when I asked him to join me for tea. It wasn't fair to keep drinking tea while he watched me. We chatted the entire time until Hiei came striding from the crowded office and I had to bid the friendly ogre goodbye.

After the meeting, Hiei was silent. I think the main reason for his silence was because we had met up with Yusuke. Since we were going to the same place, we were all going to take the same portal back to Tokyo. Tokyo was where the portal hotspot was set up and then we would make the hour drive to Hakone.

I was weary of travelling with both men. They were not in the mood for each other's' company. The tension between them was stifling. Yusuke had been all smiles when I rounded the corner in the palace, but when he saw Hiei, the grin slipped away. I remembered the scenes of the fight that had occurred back in Shirakawa-go. However, I could not remember the exact reason why they were fighting.

When we arrived in the abandoned warehouse in Tokyo, I was ready to run to the nearest trashcan. Travelling by portal was no more exciting than when traveling in Hiei's arms while he was blurring from the world. It felt like being squished through a soup can. Noises had ripped through my eardrums like the ongoing wails of several snowstorms. It was horrible. At one point, I thought I was going to vomit inside the portal. Who the hell knows where that would have ended up?

Hiei and Yusuke sat in the front while I crawled into the backseat. I didn't miss the warning look that passed when Hiei opened the back door for me. Very calmly, Hiei had shut the door and rounded the car to sit on the passenger's side. This pleased Yusuke – well, it made his scowl lessen into a grim line. I probably should have sat in the front, but sometimes I just don't think.

The entire ride was filled awkward silence. Yusuke engaged me in conversation a few times, but he never stopped scowling. I tried to lighten the mood by answering his questions honestly. He asked how I liked Shirakawa-go. I told him about Mei's family and the bristling life in the village. He asked seriously if I was truly okay. I assured him everything was fine, but I just needed time to accept the startling news in my life. And quietly, he said we would go have lunch, just the two of us. I saw the questioning gaze in Yusuke's eyes. I eyed the way Hiei's jaw tightened. This lunch was bound to be full of awkward questions and I was unsure if I would be able to answer any of them.

Settling in my seat, I suffered in the tension between the men. I wished Yusuke would turn the radio on to blare music, any music, against the piercing silence. I looked uneasily from one to the other and observed the stiffness of their shoulders. From how Yusuke reacted whenever he saw Hiei near me and the statement about having lunch, I could piece what the fight had been about in Shirakawa-go. Yusuke knew something more than a connection bond had developed between us.

Since the last meeting, Hiei had not said a word to me. I figured he was tired, because his movements were lazy when he walked. He didn't touch me. He didn't do anything but lead the way to the portal room.

Remembering our last kiss, I thought back to what I had been trying to ask him. I wanted to ask what was going to happen between us now that we were heading back to our former lives. For nearly six months, we had lived alone with each other. For the last of those months, we had been intimate with one another. What did this mean for my strange relationship now that we were returning to old friends?

I was worried that things were going to go back to the way they were – that what had happened in Shirakawa-go had simply been the workings of two people living alone and on the run. I thought about how we used to be in the beginning. Was he going to revert to his old ways of ignoring me with glares, pushing me away with scowls, and calling me a pathetic girl? If he was, I was unsure of what would happen. The last few months with him had been the happiest months in my life.

Maybe he was going to end things – whatever they had been to him. Maybe the kiss in the deserted corridor had been a last act on his part. Maybe all the kisses we ever shared were nothing to him and once we went back, he would walk away into the coldness of his heart. But I wanted to know. I deserved to know, didn't I?

Sighing, I rested my elbow on the door ledge and stared moodily out the window. Tall trees were flickering past in a green blur. We were almost in Hakone.

"Are you okay, kid," asked Yusuke over his shoulder.

"She's fine," answered Hiei stiffly.

There was the cracking of knuckles and I glanced uneasily to the driver's side. Yusuke's hands were clenched tightly around the steering wheel and a vein was ticking against his left temple. _Oh no_, I thought worriedly. It was Yusuke's pissed face.

I cursed silently. Someone else should have come along with us. Was everyone crazy? Hiei and Yusuke had been on the verge of throttling one another back in Shirakawa-go, and no one thought to separate these two on this long journey?

I swallowed nervously and eyed the side of Hiei's face. He was staring out the window and I begged him not to say anything. We only had ten more minutes until we arrived at the house. If he could just ignore Yusuke for a little while longer –

"Slow down," replied Hiei calmly when Yusuke had sped the car faster than necessary.

I groaned inwardly. Yusuke's knuckles cracked again and I thought I saw the seam of the steering wheel cover split along the sides. Not one to take orders, Yusuke's foot pressed down a bit more on the accelerator. My eyes widened in alarm at the sight of the speedometer. I watched it increasing past the triple digits.

"You know," spat Yusuke, "let's have it out, right now, because I'm tired of toeing around this," he pointedly turned and glared at Hiei.

"Would you concentrate on the damn road," seethed Hiei.

"I can see well enough!"

But even as he said it, the car swerved into the oncoming lane. A semi-truck was heading toward us and I waited for them to acknowledge the vehicle. However, they were in each other's faces and arguing heatedly.

Scooting into the middle of the backseat, I jabbed a finger in between their faces, "watch out!"

There was the screech of tires as Yusuke jerked the wheel and the car skidded back into the left lane. I slid to the left and hit the door with a grunt.

"How many times have I told you to wear your seatbelt," hissed Hiei over his shoulder when I righted myself.

"Dammit," cursed Yusuke as he sped down the highway, "I said stop talking to her like that!"

Wrinkling my nose, I ripped the seatbelt over my shoulder and slammed it into the orange lock. He didn't remind me that many times – well, maybe a good dozen times, but sometimes one just forgets to wear the damn thing, especially when there is a lot on one's mind.

"If you haven't noticed," Hiei countered furiously, "you have to talk like that in order to get things ingrained into her head!"

"That is not true!" I yelled adamantly in my defense. Growing frustrated at everyone treating me as if I was a china cup wobbling on the corner of a table, I shouted amidst their arguments. "Stop talking about me as if I'm not sitting right here, goddammit!"

Hiei's head whipped around and his eyes were blazing. "_What the hell did you just say to me_?"

"Don't cuss, damn it!" Yusuke interrupted loudly.

"We're all swearing," I explained with a glare. I was ready to throw in a handful of words just for spite, but the driveway was rapidly approaching. "Yusuke – Yusuke, the turn," I warned over all the yelling and cursing, "Yusuke, you're going to miss the turn!"

Abruptly, Yusuke yanked hard on the steering wheel and the car whipped to the left. There was the sound of gravel erupting beneath the tires and tiny pebbles tapped against the sides. His hands were shuffling the wheel quickly and a handful of curses were shooting from his mouth. When the car righted violently, my forehead smacked against the window.

"Ah, damn it," I hissed under my breath. The force of the hit had me biting the tip of my tongue. I touched around tentatively in my mouth, but there was no blood. It still rang with pain, along with my aching forehead.

Hiei reached for the gearshift with a growl. "Do you see what you've done," he raged at Yusuke. "If she bruises –"

"What," jeered Yusuke with a hardened gaze, "as if you hadn't left bruises on her with your hands–"

Hiei smirked cruelly, "what makes you think those were by my hands?"

I blushed hotly. My hand flew to the little bruise at the side of my neck. I was growing extremely angry now. It was one thing to talk about me as if I wasn't here, but to do so in a suggestive way was where I drew the line. They began rowing again and the car flew over a short hill. Once the house appeared, I placed a hand behind each headrest.

"STOP THE CAR!" I demand furiously.

Yusuke stomped on the brake and the car slid to a stop, sending a shower of dirt to spray into the air like a dust storm. Yanking off my seatbelt, I threw open my door and stomped the rest of the way toward the house. There were voices behind me, but I ignored them. I held a hand to my forehead with a grimace and marched up to the door. For each of the three steps, I cursed the idiocy of male testosterone.

Surprisingly, the door was open and I headed inside the lovely home. Kicking my shoes off, I glanced back over my shoulder. There were still arguing, but standing on either side of the car. Rolling my eyes, I shut the door. And for added measurement to my aching forehead, I locked the door. Yusuke hated having to unlock the door if someone was already home. As it was, Hiei was already in a bad mood, so no matter what I did would anger him. Well, a lock door can just be added to their annoyance list.

I just hope they didn't do anything too dangerous out there…

With the yells muffled, I could hear the sound of soft humming and sizzling meat. The aroma of spices filled my nostrils and I grinned at the familiar odors. Straightening my borrowed kimono and brushing my bangs over my head (I hope I didn't get a horn), I padded quietly into the kitchen. I slid the door open and welcomed the sight of one person I had missed greatly.

She was wearing her business uniform. The pencil skirt and blouse was a familiar sight to my eager eyes. Her elegant was piled on top of her head in a French twist. I remembered when she had taught me how to twist such hair and she had allowed me to pin her hair up one morning. I could remember her relaying the clients she was bound to see while I happily slipped in the bobby pins.

I watched her for a minute longer, simply cherishing the image of her cooking. I used to watch her cook while I did my homework. It's sad to say I never learned any of her recipes (it would have helped greatly if I did). It had been such a long time since I last seen her and my throat tightened.

Straightening my kimono one last time, I said softly, "Keiko?"

Immediately, she stiffened and the sizzling meat cackled loudly within the kitchen. I shuffled nervously amidst the silence. Slowly, she turned and lifted her warm eyes up to my face. I met her gaze with a light grin and the spatula clattered to the ground. Keiko's shining eyes filled with tears and she took a step forward.

A sudden desperation tugged at my heart and I rushed toward her with open arms. She gave a little sob and met me halfway. The arms that engulfed me were warm and loving. She was the only one close to my height (when she wasn't wearing heels) and we fit against each other comfortably. Resting my cheek against her shoulder, I breathed in her favorite perfume.

Everything felt a little better within her arms. Everything always felt a little better when in her arms. All the chaos of priestesses, Cain, and the balance of light and dark, faded away just a little bit. The reprieve made the weariness of my bones and mind seep away for a few minutes. I felt like I could breathe better. I felt like I could face my new responsibilities with a lifted chin.

She trembled within my arms and her breathing grew irregular. I was unsure if to pull away and tell her not to cry. However, I learned that sometimes you needed to cry. I wanted to cry, too, but it wouldn't do well to have two women crying. Instead, I held her to my body and rocked her slightly. There was a growing dampness at my shoulder, but I ignored the wetness.

"_No one should be alone when they cry, because tears were meant to be shared."_

I remembered Jesse's words from long ago and I finally understood what he had meant. Crying alone was lonely. Crying in another's arms allowed the tears to be shared, because then one isn't so lonely anymore. That was why Lena had never asked why I was crying. She had held me until the tears stopped. I was doing that for Keiko now.

When she pulled away, I met her eyes with a smile. The bond we had seemed to intensify, as if this separation had added to our relationship. She had always felt different to me. It was as if she was born too late and I born too early. Our years were mixed up. We were born in different times. Maybe, if things were different, I could have been her daughter. Maybe, if things were different, she would have been my mother. Maybe, that was why I had never been adopted. Maybe, I was waiting all those years because of those very reasons.

If I were to have known my real mother, I would have hoped she was exactly like Keiko.

Brushing a strand of my hair behind my ear, she smiled gently. "Welcome home, Karen."

I would have replied, but there was the sound of loud cursing. We both turned as we heard the front doorknob jiggle violently. I cleared my throat uncomfortably and she lifted an eyebrow. I forgot about locking the front door.

"Dammit," muttered Yusuke once we entered the living area and he kneed open the door. Keiko bristled at the word. My shoulders sagged at the new, upcoming fight. Keiko hated swear words. It was a house rule, to refrain from using swear words. Jerking his keys from the lock, Yusuke glared over at me with a 'what did I tell you about doing this' look. "Karen, did you lock this door?"

I racked my brain for a good reason, but really, he did deserve the added hassle of unlocking the door. I knew there was going to be a bump on my forehead and I felt no shame in locking the door.

"Yusuke Urameshi, don't think I didn't hear you just then!" Keiko placed her hands on her hips. "You know I hate those words! We discussed this!"

There were times one knew when to side with a person in order to avoid the brunt of any accusatorial arguments. "Yes, I agree." I nodded toward Keiko. "They're not nice to use."

Yusuke pointed a finger at me, "don't you go siding with her!" Looking at Keiko, he jabbed his finger at me, "you should have heard her in the car! She was screaming obscenities!"

My jaw dropped in indignation, as I spluttered, "that's not true! I said one word!"

He held up two fingers with a glare, "two!"

"Well, if she's saying any of them, it's because of you!" accused Keiko while approaching Yusuke.

Sweeping a hand to his chest, Yusuke's eyes widened in innocence, "me? I've never said –"

Pointing the finger this time, I hurried forward, "no! He was cursing in the car and this one time, we were at the market," I rounded on Yusuke, "and he dropped the milk! It splattered everywhere and he cursed so loud, it echoed –"

"I knew it!" Keiko jabbed a finger against Yusuke's chest. "I knew you were doing things behind my back and that was why you were so angry when you came home that day! You took it out on me!"

Cheering Keiko on, I yelled mindlessly, "lay it into him, mom!"

"You guys do this all the time!" Yusuke raised himself to his full height. "Try to outnumber me, but I'm head of the house!" Glaring at me, he yelled, "and you know I hate it when you lock the door. You do that to make me mad," he pointed at both of us, "both of you do it!" Scowling at Keiko, he accused her this time, "see what you're teaching her! It's infuriating! You," he jabbed his finger from me to the stairs with a glare, "upstairs!"

Gasping, I yelled, "but I just got back!"

When he refused to budge, I slouched up the stairs. Really, I was planning to disappear into my room when he entered the house. Keiko could usually calm any stubborn anger from Yusuke within an hour of slaps and yells. This would be a good release for him. Once in my room, I grinned at the heated words from below.

And yes, if I were to have known my real father, I would have hope he was exactly like Yusuke.

I waited for the sound of a slap of skin – yep, there it was! Lying back on my bed, I stared up at the ceiling happily. The argument below was as familiar to me as my love for dorayaki. It felt nice to be home again.

* * *

I did have a horn on my forehead. It was a small knot and easily concealable beneath my bangs, but a horn all the same. I was a unicorn.

Squished between Keiko and Yusuke, I munched through my vegetables while they conversed with Kuwabara and Yukina. The two had joined us for dinner, which consisted of Keiko's delicious somen noodles and savory seasoned vegetables. I adored somen. It was light and tasty.

Yukina was always a sight to see on any day. She gushed excitedly about how more beautiful I had grown and I blushed at the compliment (it was probably the little tan I had). I honestly felt the same, but Botan had mentioned the exact compliment. Keiko was quick to confirm the flattering remark and brushed a hand through my hair. In order to get the conversation off whether I was beautiful or not, I told them that they were always beautiful. They both just laughed and poked fun at the slight blush on my cheeks.

Yusuke and Kuwabara talked about sports. When Yusuke brought up sumo, he slapped a hand on my back (I nearly flew face first into my food) and reminded me of the start of the new season for sumo wrestling. Kuwabara was rooting heavily for Mannei, a big guy with a record of twenty-eight wins and five losses. But Yusuke scoffed and argued that the record didn't include the tournament wins, which would bring Mannei to thirty-one to nine. I still believed in Kanta. He was my favorite. While not so heavyset as Mannei, he was quick and flexible. He had a record of twenty-seven to thirteen, which was including tournament stats. Sadly, it was not as impressive as Mannei. However, Kanta won the title last year. I was faithful to my wrestler.

While the conversations erupted around me, I glanced across the table.

Since setting foot in the house, I had not had one moment alone with Hiei. Yusuke and Keiko kept my busy by hovering around me with questions about what life was like in Shirakawa-go. I was careful to mention only life and not the intimate moments between Hiei and me. I didn't know what I would say if the questions started pointing to us.

But that was why I needed to talk to Hiei. I needed to know if what we had in Shirakawa-go was real. I needed to know if everything was over now that we were back in Hakone. I wasn't asking if we were boyfriend and girlfriend, which to anyone else it would seem so, only I knew Hiei. I knew there would be no label to our relationship. It would simply be as it was – an odd relationship.

Meeting my eyes, Hiei and I stared at one another for a long moment. Yukina was giggling over something Kuwabara had said about a movie that they had seen last week. Keiko was rounding on Yusuke and asking when he was going to take her out. The conversations were somewhat lost on me while I drowned in Hiei's red irises.

"I think the dorayakis are almost done," exclaimed Keiko.

"Oh, what kind of filling did you use," asked Yukina.

Hiei nodded his head slightly to the back door and I caught the meaning right away. Without a word, he left the table and headed outside. I fiddled with my chopsticks and waited for a good two minutes while the conversations continued loudly. Calmly, I set my chopsticks down and turned to Keiko.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," I mentioned casually. Placing a hand on my stomach, I said, "I think I ate too much somen."

Smiling, Keiko flicked away a little lint off my shirt. "Okay, but are you going to feel up to dessert?"

I rolled my eyes playfully, "of course. I'll always have room for dorayaki."

When she laughed, I stood up and turned toward the back door. Kuwabara and Yukina were engaged in a conversation. They were lost in their own little world again.

"Hey, where you going?" asked Yusuke with a bit of suspicion.

"Outside," I said simply.

"Wait, I don't – ow!" Yusuke reached down and rubbed at his shin beneath the table. I eyed Keiko with a raised eyebrow. She merely waved me on with an impish smile.

Excused now, I slipped on my shoes and vanished outside. I thought about heading upstairs for a jacket, but Yusuke might draw me into another random conversation. Shrugging, I strode off toward the crest of the hill while pulling my sleeves down to cover my fingertips. The peach kimono was long gone and replaced with my familiar jeans and shirts. I was glad. I didn't want to ruin that kimono (wasn't mine anyways).

There was no sight of Hiei anywhere. I peered through the darkness and eyed the bottom of the hill where the trees formed. An owl hooted, as if the creature was trying to convince me that I was alone outside. I waited a good minute before scowling.

"Hiei," I said calmly. The owl hooted again. "Do you honestly expect me to go looking for you?" If he was near, he didn't answer.

Sighing, I started down the hill. He wanted to see me alone and yet there was no sign of his handsome self. Wrapping my arms around myself, I began marching with a frown. This was rude – lead me outside and then disappear. I was only a few minutes.

While I was berating Hiei, my shoe slid atop a wet patch of short grass. Before I could hit the ground, Hiei blurred in front of me and wrapped a strong arm around my waist. Pulling me against him, he kept me from falling back onto the cold ground.

"Only you can trip over grass," he muttered acidly. Releasing me, he narrowed his eyes. "What took you so long?"

Huffing, I glowered up at him. "I was only a few minutes." Before he could make another comment on my tardiness, I quickly brought up my musings. "We need to talk –"

"Not right here," he interrupted.

Wrinkling my nose, I crossed my arms, "why not?"

Glancing over my shoulder, he said, "I don't want any one bothering us."

Spying the trees, I headed toward the area where the pond was located. "Fine," I grumbled.

"No," he growled, "you're too slow."

I fumed silently when he lifted me into his arms. I did not feel like travelling like this in the cold weather, but he was too impatient to bother listening to my protests. I huddled against the heat from his body as the air whipped around us. A few seconds later and he set me on the ground. Familiar with his abrupt speed, I remained rooted to the ground without staggering.

Glancing around, I wondered where we were – this area of the woods was unfamiliar to me. It was completely dark here, too. The moon was hidden behind thick, wintry clouds. A coyote howled in the distance, but the wail did not frighten me.

"Where are we –"

He pinned me to the nearest tree and his mouth came crashing down to swallow my startled gasp. My skin erupted in tingles and I shivered against the harsh bark of the tree. When his lips moved to the bruised area of my neck, I whimpered at the sensitive area. He sucked on the love bite and his hands slid under my shirt.

"Wait," my eyes flew open and I pushed at his hands, "we're supposed to talk!"

"I never agreed to talking," he stated while brushing away my hands to resume caressing my skin.

I bristled at his words, "but that's why you led us out here!"

"No," he hissed in my ear. He reached down and gripped my thighs. Growling, he hoisted me up until my legs were wrapped around his waist. To keep from falling, I clutched at his neck and the effort plastered me against the front of his chest. "I said I didn't want anyone bothering us."

I struggled to fight against this new, erotic position. But I was losing the battle against the tidal wave of pleasure assaulting my body when he pressed against me and licked at my neck. Inwardly, I pleaded for some self-control against my suddenly raging hormones. This was a terrible time for them to start kicking in at full blast. I knew I was a late bloomer – that was why my bras were a size too small and every dress I owned was tight around my hips. Now, it seemed, that desire and lust, were making themselves evident from the startling loud moan that erupted from my lips.

When the bark scratched slightly at the exposed skin of my back from Hiei's wandering hands, it was enough to rouse me from the sensual onslaught. I barely had time to reach down and shove his hand away from cupping my right breast. _Dear god,_ I thought heatedly. If that had happened, I'd have melted into a puddle.

"Stop fighting me," he demanded against my exposed shoulder.

His hand went for my breast again, but I was more aware now. Needing to be firm, to put a stop to this out of control, erotic situation, I slapped at his hand, as any woman did when advances were too wild. I squirmed against his hold and dropped one of my legs down from around his waist. Angry, he released his hold on my other thigh and stormed away with a loud curse.

I was gasping against the tree and small, white puffs were ghosting from my lips. He was pacing dangerously in the clearing and I sank against the cold bark. Blushing, I pulled my shirt down and hastily straightened the wrinkles in the fabric.

"Go on then," he yelled at me without meeting my eyes, "talk!"

Well, now my questions seemed kind of silly given the passion that occurred against the tree. It seemed things were going to be the same – he was still intimate with me, albeit secretly. Of course, I'd rather such erotic situations be in private. No one needs to witness us in that way.

"_Karen_!"

Startling at the sound of my name, I blurted out, "what happened in Shirakawa-go, is that going to change here?" As soon as the question left my lips, I felt like cringing. I just went over this in my head.

Stomping back over to me, Hiei swept a hand over me in indication to what had happened. "What the hell did you think we were doing?" He asked dangerously and my cheeks flared with heat. "Did it feel like things were ending between us?"

Edging away from him, I narrowed my eyes. "You don't have to be so crass about it!" Remembering what he had said to Yusuke in the car, I pointed that out, too. "Like what you said to Yusuke about, about," I stuttered over the next word, "the h-hickey on my neck!"

His eyes darkened and he kept heading toward me. "Do not mention his name, again. I am not in the mood –"

"What is with you two?" I demanded while backing away from him. "First, the fight in Shirakawa-go, the fight in the car, and all those glowers through dinner," I angrily ticked each fight off my fingers.

He towered over me and his eyes were bright against the night. I lifted my chin and stood my ground, trying not to be intimidated. "This is what you interrupted us for," he murmured softly, but his voice was lace with venom, "to discuss these mindless things?"

"No," I argued, "there are a great many things! For instance, the decision concerning my training –"

"Just go back," he indicated rudely to the woods behind me. "Go back to those damn friends! You're clearly not ready for anything more, you naïve tease –"

Gasping, I shoved against his chest, "if you think I was going to put out against a tree – hey!"

He had whirled away from me. Angrily, I watched him walk across the clearing in the woods. Hiei said the rudest things. He was just pissed because I mentioned Yusuke. But I hated it when he walked away while I was talking.

"I hate it when you walk away from me!" I yelled angrily at his back.

When he didn't stop, I searched the clearing with narrowed eyes. Finding a decent size stick, I yanked it up and hurled it toward him. My eyes widened in surprise when the stick collided against the back of his head and clattered onto the ground. I wasn't expecting the stick to make contact. All the times I had thrown objects had met bitter ends by his insane speed – except for that one pillow long ago.

His hand reached up to the area behind his head and he turned around slowly. Meeting my wide eyes, he asked darkly, "did you just throw a stick at me?"

Recovering from my successful attack, I answered stiffly, "yes, I did."

There was a long moment of silence before he turned away again. Remembering the bitter loneliness I felt when I awakened in the infirmary, I chased after him.

"Please don't leave," I begged pathetically.

Amazingly enough, his footsteps paused and my arms wrapped around his waist. Burying my face against his back, I inhaled his scent of spices, soap, and unique maleness. His muscles coiled at the abrupt hug. Very slowly, Hiei turned within my arms, as I kept a firm hold around him. Staring up into his face, I met his unreadable eyes.

All the words from Koenma's office echoed in my head and the fear of my future made me tremble. I had always respected the distance Hiei placed between us. Only, right now, just this one time, I needed his comfort.

"Please," I whispered up at him, "hold me," his eyes flashed, "just this one time." He continued to regard me with a guarded expression and I pressed my face against his chest. "I won't ask again," I pleaded into his shirt. "I promise you."

* * *

Hands shoved in his pockets, his shoes scuffed along the ground. Pouting, Kuwabara didn't see the huge log before him and he stumbled over it. Catching himself, he rubbed the back of his neck.

Figures, that Urameshi would send him out to do his work while he remained inside the warm house with two beautiful women and delicious food. Kuwabara had been enjoying the savory food and his love's beauty when Urameshi asked him to fetch Karen for dessert. Hearing that, Yukina asked him to tell Hiei, too.

He had felt a flare of energy earlier, but now the aura was gone. Following his instincts, he kept heading in the direction of the last flare of demon energy. If he was lucky, Karen would be nearby since the two were connected. If not, then Kuwabara could try bugging Hiei for help in locating the young lady. Only, here he was, sprawled on the cold ground.

Staring up at the cloudy sky, he barely noticed the flicker of movement between a set of shriveling bushes. He crawled forward and parted the dry shrubs. When he saw the source of the movement, his eyes nearly bugged out of his face.

Karen was holding Hiei against her with her face pressed against his chest. Heart thumping, Kuwabara jerked forward. The fiery demon was bound to shove her away, but his jaw slackened when Hiei's arms wrapped around the Karen's smaller form. Surely, this was the end of the world!

Staring at the ground, Kuwabara pondered the situation. Simply thrown off, he glanced back up and his jaw dropped. Hiei gently lifted Karen's face up and kissed her lightly on the lips. Kuwabara must have watched them for a good five seconds before his skin paled. The two were kissing more passionately and he was bearing witness to some illusion. He searched the clearing for a witch to explain this bizarre hallucination of a sweet girl like Karen with a threatening demon like Hiei. This couldn't be real.

Seeing no one, he quickly contemplated his situation. He had a very sticky situation. Did he tell Yusuke about Hiei kissing his adoptive daughter? Kuwabara frowned. If he did, then Kuwabara would be siding with Yusuke, and Hiei would make his impending marriage to Yukina a living hell (that is, if he gathered the courage to tell the cold demon). Did he keep this a secret and pretend he didn't see anything? He shook his head. If he did, then he would be siding with Hiei and Yusuke would erupt with rage as he did in Shirakawa-go.

Did he choose to tell his best friend or keep it a secret for his soon to be brother-in-law's sake?

Clutching his head, he began chanting for a solution. Kuwabara hit his head with his hand and glanced back up to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The moment he stared at the couple, his skin exploded in goose bumps. With his head tilted to angle the kiss better against Karen's mouth, Hiei had opened his eyes and pinned Kuwabara with a murderous look.

Stumbling backward, Kuwabara sprinted out of the woods. His hands brushed aside branches and tore them from the trees. His heart was thudding furiously while he ran all the way up the hill and into the house without stopping. Once inside, he walked stiffly to his chair and seated himself with shaking hands.

Yukina's eyes widened at the small scratches on his face and Urameshi asked him what was wrong. He didn't answer anyone, only stared ahead at the wall. Keiko waved a mug of tea under his nose but he didn't move. When asked what he had seen to send him into this state, he fixed his beady eyes on them and muttered the words in a deadly whisper.

"I saw a dragon fall."

Letting the statement hang in the air, Kuwabara finally lifted the mug of tea to his lips and stared at the wall again.

It was determined, then, that he took things too seriously. Yet, Kuwabara knew what his choice was concerning the private moment he had witnessed. He would rather face his friend's wrath than his soon to be brother-in-law's anger. He was going to keep this a secret.

However, Kuwabara was right, in a way.

…

…

…

A dragon did fall but he fell a long time ago.


	28. With A Plan, Nothing Goes Right

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Eight: With A Plan, Nothing Goes Right

* * *

Did you ever try to sneak around as quiet as a ninja?

A ninja was agile, intelligent and a master of deception. A ninja could blend in with one's surroundings and avoid making the tiniest of sounds. Unless furniture was involved and the ninja was someone who could injure one's self simply from walking, then being a ninja became impossible.

I tried, anyways.

Quietly, I eased down the stairs. Pressing against the wall, the fabric of my shirt rustled loudly. The material sounded like the crackle of a chip bag. The stairs creaked with the slightest weight change. The light of my mobile created eerie shadows along the walls and I glanced over my shoulder uneasily.

I wasn't doing anything bad, yet the act of sneaking around in the early hours of the morning seemed to create this feeling of stealth. It felt as if the shadows had eyes and like the _Mona_ _Lisa_, the shadow's eyes were following my every movement.

Chancing another glance over my shoulder, I hurried down the rest of the stairs. Once in the living room, I felt relieved at being in open space instead of tiptoeing down the enclosed staircase. Grinning, I made my way toward the kitchen. I wanted a snack. That's it. That's why I was being so quiet.

For the majority of the week, I had a hard time sleeping. I was used to sleeping next to Hiei, but being back home – well, things were different. It felt like the bed was too big. It felt like the nights were too silent. It felt like the room was too cold.

I was also mourning the absence from Hiei by sneaking into the cabinet Yusuke and I kept stock with unhealthy snacks (Keiko went crazy when she was on diets). Hiei had gone to Demon World the day after we arrived back home from Spirit World. The first day, Koenma kept checking up on me to make sure I was still breathing. It had been the first time Hiei had been away over such a considerable distance. It had been the first time he had been away for a long time, period.

I was fine, save for secretly pining for him.

He had left early in the morning, stopping in my room only long enough to kiss me goodbye. I couldn't sleep after that last parting. Of course, with everything happening, this was something I would have to get used to doing – seeing him off on his many trips to Demon World. It left me feeling miserable.

During the last three days, Yusuke was gone for most of the day. Tomorrow, a team was going to head to the temple to retrieve the capture priestess and try shutting down the ancient structure. At least, that was what Kenji and I had overheard when Yusuke and Kuwabara were discussing things over sake one evening. Hiei was supposed to go, too, but he was still gone. I figured he would meet them there after he came back from his trip.

Meeting Kenji was a joy that had me smiling for days. I was startled at how much he had changed when we met that day after I arrived home. His arms were more muscled and he had this handsome swagger that had not been there before I left home. However, he was still goofy. That much hadn't change about his personality. But when he thought I wasn't looking, there was a trace of sadness in his face. I was debating on whether to ask him, only there were times he wanted to be guarded. I would give him a few days before prying.

Tiptoeing into the kitchen, I headed to one of the kitchen drawers. I lifted the cutlery set from the drawer and set it to the side. I flashed one last look over my shoulder before returning to my task of seeking comfort food. Raising the bottom of the door, a secret panel, I poked around the various snacks within the drawer.

This was a secret, I had to take to the grave – okay, well, I told Kenji. It had been the first time he had visit the house and already best friends, I revealed the secret snack drawer. Yusuke had made the hideout when Keiko went on a tofu diet. I was not a picky person, but tofu was unsettling in my stomach. I ate it anyways, but it was not something to be eaten on a daily basis.

Grabbing a pastry, I reset the cutlery. I held the snack to my chest and the wrapping crinkled slightly at the movement. Mission accomplished, I made my way back to my room. I was getting a little better at sneaking around, but it took a few nights to get into the routine. At this rate, I was bound to be sneaky, but slightly heavier. Oh well, Hiei better not complain. It was his fault, anyways.

Thinking about tomorrow, I felt brief fear at what my friends, what Yusuke and Hiei, would face at the temple. I knew Keiko was worried because she was constantly hovering around Yusuke when he was home. This was probably the main reason why I could not sleep, too. I kept eating snacks and silently wishing for them to be successful, as if sacrificing my slender body to the sumo god for their safety.

I hoped Cain was not alive. I hoped this was all an exaggeration and that the demon was still lost in the time rift. However, given life, I highly doubt that reason was possible. Life was just not that easy.

I entered my room and pushed the door shut softly to keep from waking the sleeping couple down the hall. When I turned, a hand covered my mouth and red eyes peered down into my face. I felt like my heart knocked against my ribcage and broke a bone or two. Luckily, my lungs were stronger and were not prone to seizing up in pain during alarming moments.

When Hiei removed his hand, I sighed in relief. "Hiei –"

There was a loud 'pop' as he pulled me against him and we both glanced down at the source of the noise. I frowned moodily at my smashed pastry. The plastic had popped against his hard chest and the flaky pie had crinkled to bits. A few flakes fluttered in the air like a sad goodbye.

"What is that?" whispered Hiei as he made to pull the object away from my hands.

Not wanting him to know that I had been snacking on unhealthy snacks while he was away, I hid the ruin pastry behind my back. "Nothing," I replied quietly.

With blinding speed, he snatched my snack away before I could accomplish a full blink. I bit my lower lip when he lifted the pie up to his eye level. "This is why you weren't in your room earlier?"

"… I was hungry."

"At three in the morning?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Refusing to reveal that I had hardly slept while he was away, I reached for the snack. He used his height and pulled the pie away from my hands. Curse his 6'2" frame (I knew he was that tall because Yusuke had been complaining about being the last normal-sized man – just less than 6 feet)! If I had known him before he got his growth spurt, I would have won half my arguments… maybe not. Curse demon growth spurts!

"Here, give it back and I'll put it up before crumbs fly –"

When I reached again for the pie, he purposely dropped it and wrapped a hand around my wrist. Pulling me against him, he backed me against the door. I was reminded of the heated moment between us in the woods. He smelled like the outside – like earth, air, trees, _him_ – oh, he smelled so very male.

I don't know if it was the separation or just raging hormones, maybe both, but his tongue made the fire in the pit of my stomach boil. My hands flew up to his hair and yanked on the spiky ends. When his hands made to lift my nightshirt, I shivered at the cool air of the room. Reflexively, I squirmed from his touch.

"Lift your arms," he demanded.

Eyes snapping open at the request, I shook my head. "No!" I whispered in defiance. He can't seriously be thinking of doing _anything_ while there were two other occupants in the house. "I will not do anything while they are sleeping!"

"Lift your arms," he repeated as he jerked on the hem of my shirt.

"It's cold," I protested while twisting away.

"Karen, give me five damn minutes –"

I spluttered loudly, "f-five minutes?"

There was a loud snort from out in the hallway and we grew silent. I heard a bed creak and Yusuke's snoring continued peacefully.

Staring back up into Hiei's face, I noticed the shadows beneath his eyes. He was tired. I always knew when he was on the verge of fatigue. I don't know how far he travelled (I knew an entire world), but he came here before having to leave in a few hours. I would like to pretend that he journey such a long way to see me before leaving for this dangerous mission. It was more romantic that way.

He seemed more than just cranky from lack of sleep, as he released his hold on my shirt and strode over to my bed. Seating himself on the edge, he rested his elbows on his knees and hung his head in his hands. He appeared frustrated and my brows furrowed.

He was going to leave in a few hours. He should be sleeping. What if he was so tired, he couldn't focus on the mission? What if he was so frustrated, he couldn't fight properly? What if this was the last moment we would ever share?

The universe depended on the success of this mission. Everyone needed to be in top condition. I fingered the hem of my thin nightshirt. What if my late blooming body, was enough to ease his tension and provide a bit of added strength to the success of the mission? If it wasn't enough, then maybe this would satisfy him and he could go to sleep for a few hours.

_Just get it over with, Karen. _I criticized myself. Besides, it was going to happen eventually. He was older than I was by maybe six years (I remember Keiko saying something about it over the phone with someone, but whom was she talking to that day?). I sighed. I wanted to take that extra step with him despite the age difference… it wasn't that great of a difference. I just didn't want it to be while Yusuke was sawing logs like a family of beavers. I had hoped my first time would be when we were alone. Sighing, I headed over to him. Well, this was for his safety and everyone else – I had to take one for the team.

My stomach muscles seized up into a ball and a thousand butterflies fluttered beneath my skin. When I was standing in front of him, I gathered every ounce of bravery within my trembling body. I swallowed nervously as my shaky fingers lifted my shirt up my stomach. I was immediately relieved I still had a bra on to add a bit of an extra barrier (would have been embarrassing if Yusuke caught me downstairs and noticed the absence of my bra beneath my nightshirt). Like ripping a Band-Aid, I hurriedly whipped it over my head and allowed my shirt to hit the ground with a soft plop.

At the noise of my shirt in the silence of the room, Hiei's head shifted from his hands. I watched nervously as he stared at the shirt splayed upon the carpet. He didn't move for a long moment. After a minute, two minutes, I was starting to feel stupid standing there in my shorts. Heat was blowing from the air vents, but I could feel goose bumps breaking out across my skin. If he didn't move in another minute, I was going to grab my shirt, and damaged pie (still eating it), and hide out in the bathroom –

He lifted his head up and my mouth went dry. Ducking my eyes, I stared cowardly down at the carpet between us. I sucked in air as his hand came into view. His fingers skimmed softly along my bare stomach and my muscles tightened at the contact. His other hand brushed up my thigh, but stopped at the hem of my shorts. I went utterly still as his fingers clenched around the material in a death-like grip. I was alarm to see his fist shaking.

_Please, don't let me mess up,_ I begged silently. I waited for him to yank down my shorts, but he released them. His hands trailed up until he reached the line of my bra. I could hardly breathe from the trail of fire. His fingers were splayed against my back and his thumbs pressed slightly beneath the beige edge of my bra. If I had known this was happening, I would have worn a brighter, cheerier bra instead of boring beige. I might have looked more attractive in my electric, blue one – or maybe the red one.

Holding my breath, I allowed him to pull me forward between his legs. From this position, his face was right at the area below my breasts. He pressed a feathery kiss against my upper abdomen and I shivered at the feel of his lips. My eyes closed as his fingers massaged against the sides of my back and he continued to kiss my stomach lazily.

I lost track of time. The soft kisses seemed to last a lifetime. I was almost purring at the new sensations of his lips and his fingers. His left hand dropped and his arm wrapped around my waist. He lowered me onto the bed and slid us up along the scattered blankets until we were completely in the middle. When his lips finally brushed against mine, I exhaled shakily into his mouth. His mouth glided along mine heatedly, but his hands never strayed toward my breasts. He simply traced my sides from the beginning of my hips, up my ribcage, and toward the edge of my bra.

When he finally pulled away, he rested his face against the crook of my neck. He settled more comfortably against the side of my body and his right hand remained splayed along my side and stomach.

"T-that's it?" I whispered after a few minutes.

His dark laugh fanned against my neck. "Did you think we were going to have sex with him snoring in the background?"

My cheeks heated up at how casually he stated his sentence. "But you told me to take off my shirt – I thought that was what… you wanted."

"I wanted to see your body," he muttered blandly.

"Oh…"

Bitterly, he growled, "you're still not ready."

"No, I took off my shirt," I defended myself, "I was trying –"

"Because you believe I'm not coming back," he answered mockingly. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Now, I felt stupid. He made me feel so damn stupid. I was just doing what he asked – I was always trying to do what he asked me. My eyes watered at the humiliation of how I had acted and I shifted away from him. I wanted to go to the bathroom and cry.

His hand prevented my escape. "Don't."

Feeling overwhelmed, I repeated my thoughts from earlier. "I was just doing as you asked. I really was trying to be ready –"

"Damn it, I don't want you to just do what I ask," he argued quietly. "I want you to _want_ to do what I ask. You were shaking for ten minutes before I calmed you down." I turned my head and stared at the wall. His voice lowered as he accused me, "you were forcing yourself to have sex with me."

I watched the numbers on my alarm clock. It was almost four-thirty and here we were arguing about my stupid naivety. I was shirtless and he was fully clothed. I felt like crying but my pride kept me from shedding a tear in his presence. I would never cry in front of him.

"I am coming back," he said in an oddly soft voice, "and when you're ready, I won't stop. Remember that, Karen." I swallowed at the warning. Then, he said, "but I'm trying," he almost hissed the words, "to respect… the boundaries."

I remembered the way his hand was shaking. He could have ripped my shorts away, but he held back from shredding away my clothes. It was not exactly an apology, but considering this was Hiei, it was pretty close to one. The underlying message was that he was sorry. Still, I couldn't meet his eyes. I was too embarrassed.

He removed his hand from my side and covered my throat in a gentle caress. His thumb smoothed over my jawline and I closed my eyes. "… What are you thinking?"

"You already know," I answered in an obvious tone.

"I'm not allowed inside your head for the time being."

My eyes flew open and I glanced over at him for the first time since I tore off my shirt. His eyes were half lidded and the red was dark with fatigue. I didn't understand why he was keeping himself from sleeping when he was clearly on the verge of hibernating. He was tired. He was very tired. He had to leave again in a few hours and he wanted to know what I was thinking?

Without bothering to ask why he wasn't reading my thoughts anymore, I said worriedly, "Hiei, go to sleep… you're tired."

I pulled the scrunched up cover sheet from beside me. I always kicked them off in my sleep. I preferred just the blanket.

"I asked what you were thinking," he murmured.

This was the first time he had ever made the astounding effort to talk to me. I couldn't remember if he ever asked me such a personal question, unless it was what I was drawing. Maybe this was an add-on to his strained apology. Still, I melted at the way his eyes were peering up at me as he fought against sleep to ask what was on my mind. Before he could see too much of my feelings, I glanced away.

Since he was refusing to release me, I shook out the sheet as best as I could and draped it over us. The cool fabric provided a bit of warmth against the draft of the windows. His thumb kept tracing the edge of my jaw and I smoothed the sheet more firmly against my nearly naked front.

"Don't make me repeat myself again." He continued stubbornly in a drowsy voice.

Closing my eyes, I whispered resignedly, "I was thinking that you're a stubborn demon."

"What else?"

I was confused. Why won't he just go to sleep? Heeding the question, I said, "that you should go to sleep now, Hiei. You only have a few hours left. Please, go to sleep."

"Just keep talking," he argued moodily against my neck.

Opening my eyes again, I stared up at the ceiling. The words went flying out in a soft whisper. "I could hardly sleep this past week because you were gone and the bed felt strange. I snuck into the pantry nearly every night. You smashed the last of the pies. I kept colliding into the coffee table the first three nights of your absence. I think I gained a pound or two from those snacks."

I whispered the past week to him for half an hour before his thumb stopped moving against my throat and he retracted his arm. Even so, I continued with a few more sentences about going to the diner with Yusuke and Keiko where we tried out several new dishes. Yusuke had ordered one too spicy and his face turned an ungodly shade of red. Keiko was angrily waving over to a teen waitress that was flirting with some hot guy. I had shoved my water and Keiko's water to Yusuke when he kept waving for more to cool his mouth. When I we ran out of water, I turned to the next table and stole this former classmate's water. He didn't seem to mind. He just gave me this grin while I apologized profusely about needing to save my father before he burst into flames.

When he was sound asleep, I finally paused from talking. Strangely, the fact that I was only in a bra and shorts, and that he was resting against my side, did not bother me. His lips were parted slightly and his breath was warm against my neck. I wanted to pull his arm around me, but he would awaken from his slumber. I wonder what it would feel like to sleep in his arms – I guess this was as close as I would get to the feeling.

"I missed you," I whispered while leaning slightly toward him to press a kiss to his forehead.

I hurried to lean away before he could wake. I never went back to sleep. I just watched him like that time in the hotel room. So close yet so far away.

* * *

Yusuke scooped some rice into his mouth and chewed quickly in the warm kitchen. Keiko sat across from him and sipped quietly at her tea while watching him in amusement. He plucked at some meat in his bowl and tossed it into his mouth. Watching him eat always gave her some sort of pleasure, knowing that he was completely at ease with eating so wildly in front of her without being embarrassed. But he was a man. Men didn't think about manners, especially Yusuke.

"When are you guys leaving?" asked Keiko thoughtfully.

Yusuke chugged down some tea, "in an hour"

Refilling his cup, Keiko chided, "well, at least chew your food thoroughly," he rolled his eyes, "you still have plenty of time."

"This is pretty good," he said through a mouthful. Taking his cup back, he washed down his food. He poked around in his bowl, "but stir-fry for breakfast?"

There was a mischievous smile on Keiko's face and she replied around the rim of her cup, "that's because Karen made it."

"Oh, right, she can cook now." He frowned at her while, "if she was up so early, then where is she?"

Setting her tea down, Keiko stared out the window and replied casually, "taking a walk with Hiei."

Yusuke bristled at the demon's name and chewed grumpily through his next mouthful. He knew the demon had arrived earlier this morning, but he had purposely ignored the demon's energy signature. He seriously didn't know why Hiei made the effort to journey so late to Hakone when he could have simply taken a portal from Demon World. He probably had to travel all the way from the warehouse – damn demon was always trying to be a badass.

"This early," asked Yusuke sarcastically, "really?"

"What's wrong with taking a walk?"

The frown remained on Yusuke's face stubbornly. "I never said anything was wrong."

Lifting an eyebrow, Keiko murmured, "sure."

"I'm just saying," began Yusuke as he wiped his mouth with his napkin, "that Hiei does not take walks, period."

Keiko smiled and answered softly, "… I think Hiei and Karen are together, Yusuke."

Seeing Keiko's calm expression, Yusuke dropped his chopsticks. "And that doesn't bother you," he demanded, "knowing that she's with Hiei – the three-eyed demon with a cold attitude?"

Keiko thought seeing Yusuke act like a jealous father was… a huge turn on. It made her think about what they had talked about after her accident when she brought up the issue of having kids. She almost sighed dreamily at that particular night.

Keiko had her suspicions about Hiei and Karen when they arrived back home. The normally reserved demon hardly took his eyes off Karen for a second. And it was adorable how he nodded for Karen to meet him outside while everyone, save her, were busy chatting away. She couldn't help but lend a hand in the arrangement by kicking Yusuke's shin when he tried to keep Karen from meeting with the demon. If anything, she was a dreamy romantic, which was why she loved soap operas.

Earlier, she was surprised to see Hiei back from Demon World. She had heard voices in the kitchen when she went in to start breakfast. Curious, she waited outside the door and eavesdropped on the owners' of the voices. She heard Karen grumbling about someone making fun of her by insisting she make stir-fry for breakfast. Then, a deeper voice said lightly that it was his favorite. Something else must have happened because Karen made an indignant noise and there was a husky chuckle.

Peeking in the kitchen, she was astounded to see Hiei leaning casually against the cabinets while Karen chopped at some vegetables. She would have left the couple, but Hiei had stared at her over the rim of his mug with a blank expression. With no other choice, she entered the kitchen to help Karen with the strange breakfast. While they worked, she couldn't keep from smiling at how Hiei waited patiently at the table.

"People change," she defended the demon. "Honestly, Yusuke, Karen isn't a little girl. If you can't tell, she's a young woman." Keiko thought back to the shopping trip they had taken when Karen asked to buy bigger bras. She laughed when Karen blushed at the new size, which wasn't a startling number, but greatly different from her previous size. Karen was no Botan. Well, they both were not endowed with Botan's impressive chest. How sad. "Just look at how much she's grown."

Scowling, Yusuke leaned back in his seat. "I know that, but she's too naïve to be with him." He swirled the tea in his cup. "I mean he's older and," his brows furrowed, "a man." Yusuke left off the 'experience' part to his sentence, but Keiko caught it anyways.

"He's not that old. Yukina and I were calculating her age to human years," she recalled the moment with Hiei's sister at dinner, "and she is just a year younger than us – give or take a few years."

"You know what I mean," he muttered under his breath.

Rolling her eyes, Keiko stared out the window. "I worry just as much as you do about Karen, but we have to respect… her relationships. She's nearly eighteen."

"She could have started off with a normal boy," grumbled Yusuke, "someone her own age, like Kenji. I like him. He's dorky." Yusuke didn't want to add that Kenji probably wouldn't know what to do with a girl if one sat naked in front of him. "She hasn't even tried a normal life – it's like things are forced on her and she accepts it right away."

Catching the meaning of his words, Keiko stared sadly in her tea. Karen's situation was not one she tried to dwell on, because she didn't want to worry Karen with letting the young woman see how much she loved her – loved her enough to want to hide her from the world.

"She's doing the best she can with what she has," replied Keiko softly. "I think you and Hiei just went about this the wrong way. I know your temper," she scolded him softly, "and I know Hiei has a temper, too."

Yusuke had told her of the fight in Shirakawa-go. Wanting Karen to be as happy as possible, Keiko felt the need to help settle the tension between the two men.

"We both love her," she began in a soft voice, "and no one else could ever believe how quickly we all bonded. No one will understand how strongly we feel toward Karen." His jaw slackened. "I know you care for her as if she really was your daughter because I do, too. We gave her what she was denied, even if it came nearly too late in her life."

He gave a resounding sigh. "I know, I know… loosen the reigns, let the clumsy bird flap away from the nest." Recalling Hiei's words from the fight, he eyed his fiancé, "what if he hurts her?"

Keiko's eyes narrowed dangerously. "If such a time comes, then you use your gun and I'll use my right hand." They shared a quiet laugh before Yusuke resumed eating the rest of his food. "Just try and be accepting of Hiei, okay? I think he's really changing, not around us, but toward her… So," she crossed her arms, "give them a chance and quit stressing Karen with your constant death glares at him. I will not have her feeling as if she has to choose between him and us."

"Fine," he muttered into his tea.

With the issue settled, Keiko stared back out the window. "Besides, I think they're a cute couple."

Yusuke snorted rudely.

* * *

Munching on some gummies, Kenji and I stepped out of the museum. Kenji was talking excitedly about the historic displays and artwork.

After Hiei and Yusuke left, I decided to spend the day with my best friend. I had missed his birthday a few weeks ago and planned to make today a belated celebration. I would have remained home, but Keiko was having some girl time with Yukina at the salon in Hakone. Not wanting to mourn Hiei's absence again, I was quick to accept Kenji's proposal to make the long trip to Nikko.

Hiei slept for three hours before I accidently roused him from sleep. I decided to make him breakfast before he had to leave, but he awakened when I pulled away from him. Stubbornly refusing to fall back to sleep, he set about to take a shower. Before leaving my side, he told me to drop the sheet I held against my chest. I was about to shake my head in protest, but considering he had told me he would wait until the time was right for us, I relented. This time, he didn't touch me. Still, I was almost panting as his eyes travelled over my exposed body. When he was done looking, he headed off to his room.

Strangely enough, Hiei insisted I make stir-fry. Stir-fry was not an ideal course for breakfast. However, the smirk on his face alerted me to his reference to a time, long ago, when I overcooked such a meal. He even had the audacity to laugh at my glower. Luckily, Keiko interrupted any further jibes about the harsh memory.

After breakfast, he casually guided me to the back door. If Keiko found it odd he was leading me outside for an early walk, she hid it well by fixing Yusuke a plate. I was surprised that we did walk. He didn't pin me to the nearest tree or on the ground. He just followed me – didn't even question that I was leading him in a circle. I was surprised at his behavior. Maybe I should take my shirt off more often if it made him more open around me.

Before he left, he handed me the old backpack that I had left in Shirakawa-go. I was surprised at what was inside the bag. There were the comic books I had bought Kenji for his birthday, Nukia's rocks, and Suki's paintings. I was a little glum that my sketchbook was absent, but it was a pleasurable gesture from this demon. He gave me another one of those parting kisses and left with Yusuke to Tokyo.

The two guards that accompanied us to Nikko were necessary for my protection. They seemed uneasy about letting us go to Nikko, but after checking in with their superiors, they begrudgingly allowed us to visit the museum. Kenji was ecstatic I was ecstatic at seeing the happiness in Kenji's eyes.

Nearly evening, we headed away from the museum toward Kenji's car. He had to park a block away, since Nikko was crowded with tourists vacationing late in the year. The guards were somewhere atop the buildings watching us. I think they were under orders to give as much privacy as possible. But it was strange… we hadn't seen them all day.

"I told you this museum would be worth it," explained Kenji. His eyes were alight. I thought I saw them shining with tears, but it was the lighting. It would have been a funny sight.

I nodded and chewed my candy. "The samurais were my favorite." I actually was not as into museums as Kenji, but he loved the sites. I loved hanging out with him. "I liked the ink paintings in there, too."

"I bet you could do those ink paintings."

"Sure," I answered sarcastically, "and they would end up in the trash."

Stealing some of my candy, Kenji popped the gummies into his mouth. "Yeah, yeah, don't be modest, Karen. Let the art unfold from your soul." Liking the candy, he grabbed the bag from my hand. "You hardly like sweets, but you've been eating them all day." Smiling smugly, he said, "are my ferocious appetites growing on you?"

"Not true, I like dorayakis."

"Those aren't as sweet as other divine pastries."

Defending my favorite dessert, I set my hands on my hips. "Dorayakis are the best. They are lightly sweetened and warm like the perfect spring day."

He sniggered and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "You're a nerd."

"I beg your pardon, but I think you were almost crying when we left the museum."

"Was not," he disputed with furrowed brows.

We walked merrily with one another and continued to eat the candy. I really should hold off on all the sweets, but it was like when someone craved a cigarette. I was growing addicted to sweets because of my separation from a hot demon.

"Oh," Kenji hissed. He handed me back the gummies and straightened from me. I watched in amusement as he smoothed a hand through his unruly hair.

"Remember, this time, don't speak too fast," I reminded him.

Nodding, he inhaled deeply and headed toward a tall-legged woman. Apparently, Kenji had a thing for long legs. Every time he saw a short skirt, his eyes followed eagerly. Seeing, as I was his best friend, I had to act as a guy friend would in this sort of situation by giving advice and providing moral support. He was still working on collecting numbers (he tried twice already), but I think with a little more practice, we'd find a good routine for him. He would probably have more luck with a different person than me – I had only ever been with one person.

I finished the rest of the candy while I watched him talk to the woman. She appeared to be a year older and had sleek, black hair. I was amazed she could wear such little clothing in this cold weather. The skirt went to mid-thigh and her vest jacket hugged her body tightly, revealing her curvy figure. Beneath the jacket, she wore a low-cut, long-sleeved shirt that revealed a startling amount of cleavage. The stiletto boots she wore seemed to emphasize her perfect legs.

I wondered if Hiei would ever go for this type of woman. Moodily, I stared down at my attire. I had a long-sleeved shirt with a vest jacket, too, but I was far from sexy. Hiei never commented on how I dressed. He never paid me any compliments. What if he had been dishonest about his reason for stopping this morning, in order to spare me further humiliation? What if the real reason he stopped, was because he found me unattractive?

When Kenji came jogging back, I cleared away the jumble of questions. He had a wide grin on his face and held up a slip of paper. I couldn't help but grin. I was glad Kenji was seeking other girls because there were times I thought he wanted to ask me out when we first met. I always managed to play dumb and pretend to misunderstand him. Sometimes, my innocent ways worked to my advantage. I just didn't want to ruin our friendship… and I hardly noticed anyone but Hiei.

"You got it," I asked excitedly when he waved the paper in my face.

"Her mobile," he sang lightly.

"Let me see it!" I didn't wait for him to hand it over before I snatched the paper away. Peering at the numbers and the name (there was even a lipstick stained kiss on the paper), I smirked, "well, well, well, my Casanova, she must have fallen for your handsome looks."

Kenji beamed with pride when he took the paper back, "and her name is Ami." Sighing dreamily, he handed the paper to me again, "here, stick this in your purse before I lose –"

He spoke too soon. A harsh winter wind erupted around us and the paper went fluttering across the parking lot.

"Dammit," he cursed.

"Don't just stand there," I hurried forward, "that's your future lover!"

Sprinting across the cold pavement, we chased after the fluttering paper. It sailed all the way into the park beyond the lot. It was approaching nighttime and the area seemed oddly deserted. In fact, we looked to be the only two within a mile of the park.

I shook away the uneasy feeling. If anything dangerous was nearby, the guards would not allow us to come to any harm. We were safe.

Jumping into the air, Kenji caught Ami's number. I panted heavily while opening my purse for him to drop the paper inside before it could slip away again. Sighing in relief, Kenji and I turned to head back to his car.

"EEEIIII!"

Jumping, we whirled around at the startling wail. Peering through the darkness, I eyed what looked to be a blue penguin streaking toward us. But penguins could not fly!

"Please, stop that bird!" yelled a tall, bald man in brown robes. He looked like a monk.

Wasting no time, I ran forward to heed the request. Much taller than I was, Kenji was able to leap into the air and snag one of the bird's feet. The bird gave a sharp cry and swiped at Kenji's face with his clawed feet. Cursing, Kenji threw up an arm to shield his face from the bird's attack.

"PUU! PUU!"

"You damn bird," yelled Kenji as he backed away.

"Hey, stop it!" I tried to reason with the bird, even though the creature did not understand. However, maybe it did understand something – it flew down and burrowed in the opening of my vest jacket. I froze as the bird settled against the warmth of my chest. Not wanting the bird to claw at my goods through my shirt, I refrained from moving.

"Oh, god," I squeaked.

"Here, hold still and I'll –"

"No," I warned, "let it calm down!"

Fixing his glasses, Kenji peeked closer at my chest. Following his example, I stared down at the bird huddling in the confines of my jacket. It did look like a penguin… with a mop of black hair. The creature was shivering violently.

"Excuse me!" called the man.

We turned and eyed the stranger running toward us. Once he reached us, he dusted off his robes. Close up, he was rather handsome for a monk. He had straight eyebrows and calm, dark eyes. He was also extremely tall – maybe even taller than Hiei. I frowned. Everyone was taller than I was, except for Yukina (she was a little taller), Genkai, and Keiko.

Deciding to be polite, I greeted him. "Hello, is this your pet bird?"

"Ah, yes," he replied in a deep baritone. "I'm so glad you two stopped him. I've been chasing him all day in this crowded city." Bowing his head, he said, "forgive my manners, but I am Hokushin."

Kenji appeared a bit weary of the tall monk, but I felt completely calm in this stranger's presence. I mimicked his greeting by bowing my head slightly. "I'm Karen. It's nice to meet you."

He was eyeing me with a tilt of his head, as if he had heard my name before, but then he was bowing his head again. "Thank you for your help." Turning, he swept a hand toward the parking lot. "As a token of my appreciation, allow me to escort you two from the park."

Kenji casually shrugged away the offer, "no, thanks. We can manage."

Since it was getting late, I agreed. "Here," I murmured. Carefully, I reached into my vest and lifted the strange bird from its temporary nest. To my surprise, the bird did not struggle. When I eyed the creature's face, the bird was staring glumly at me. I almost laughed. It looked sad. "There you go, Hokushin. Again, it was nice meeting you."

He was staring curiously from me to the bird, but nodded his head at us. Turning, Kenji and I headed back to the parking lot. We were both silent while we headed away from the man. I was thinking about the bird. It looked familiar.

"Argghhh," howled Kenji. He went stumbling back and his hand flew to his nose.

"What happened –"

"That's wrong," he stared up ahead with wide eyes, "that's very wrong."

Seeing his paling face, I glanced over my shoulder. "What are you talking about? You're scaring me!"

"T-there's something blocking the way," he pointed a shaky finger toward the parking lot.

He must be playing a horrible joke. There was nothing there but empty space. I could make out the parking lot and the crowded street ahead. Still, I reached out –

"Kenji," I hissed in alarm, "Kenji, what is that?" There was something there! It was like an invisible wall separating us from the life on the other side. I touched the wall again and backed away uneasily.

Bounding forward, Kenji began banging against the wall. It was frightening to see him hitting something that was invisible to the naked eyes.

"What is a spirit barrier doing here," inquired a voice.

Whirling around, we met Hokushin's curious eyes. He was regarding the barrier with a slight frown. The bird was sitting within his arms. Recalling his statement, I paled. Without warning, Kenji smacked a hand against the bird in the monk's arms. The bird erupted into a loud shriek and clawed against the monk's face.

We started running.

* * *

Yusuke tapped on the inner wall of the temple and nodded his head, as if he were regarding a new house. "Pretty sturdy," he mused, "and it's warm in here, too."

Kuwabara studied the interior of the temple with his mouth open in awe. Everything was covered in crystal: the floors, walls, columns, and ceiling. The entire room reflected the team's faces. He could see the curious gazes of his teammates. This temple was different from the one he had visited with Kurama in Demon World. It was beautiful.

"Are these real crystals," asked Kuwabara interestedly, "or diamonds?"

Striding forward, Lena observed the inside with soft eyes. "No, it is frozen white sand from Demon World." She frowned, "I'm afraid I don't know this temple's history. I've never been in this one."

Kurama was kneeling on the ground and feeling the cool sand. "Well, whoever had a hand in building this temple had fine art skills."

Yusuke stared over at the priestesses that had accompanied the group. Genkai had mentioned that they were the two strongest in each category – mentally and physically. Valon was a young, Native American woman with red highlights. She was currently toeing the ground with a worn sneaker. Yusuke pegged her for the strongest priestess in the physical category. She was tall, not like Shizuru, but maybe Botan, and carried herself as if she could handle anything. The other woman was one Yusuke had meant in Spirit World named Nessa. The Russian woman was shorter and had long, curly, blond hair.

"Geeze," Valon crossed her arms over her chest. "It looks really fancy. I'm afraid to walk around in here."

Two shadows fell over Valon and she narrowed her black eyes. Whirling around, she poked the nearest cloaked person in the chest. Luckily, the cloaked person was the shorter of the two figures. Although, Yusuke doubt it would matter.

"Why did you push me into that portal?" demanded Valon to the SWAT member that had accompanied the team. "I would've gone in eventually!"

Yusuke sniggered. Earlier, when they met up in Koenma's office, the shorter figure had shoved Valon into the portal when she stared uneasily into the vortex. He always liked a good laugh before embarking on a mission.

The figure coughed and backed away. Before Valon could pounce, Yusuke grabbed the back collar of her shirt. He wanted to get a move on and it wouldn't do for the young woman to pick fights with the SWAT members. "Let's go." He rolled his eyes as she tried digging her feet into the ground. He was used to such antics. Karen did it all the time when he would drag her away from studying. "You can't take on those two dudes," he scoffed.

Kuwabara ran after Yusuke with a scowl. "Urameshi, you don't treat women like that!"

"This is a girl." He quipped in his usual grumpy manner when in the presence of strangers. "There's a difference."

Bristling, Valon ripped away from his hold and growled angrily. "I am more of a woman than you!"

Grinning in amusement, Yusuke decided to add to her irritation by saying, "well, damn! I hope so!"

As the rest of the team fell into step behind Yusuke, Kurama sank toward the back of the group. Hiei eyed Kurama suspiciously while the fox walked beside him. Kurama could feel the slight tension and anger hovering around the fire demon.

"You seem a great deal calmer since we came back from Demon World," murmured Kurama.

Hiei regarded the statement in silence. It was true. While away, he had been greatly agitated from being away from Karen. He knew the first year of claiming a mate was hard, but he hadn't been prepared for the onslaught of restlessness, anger, frustration, and the list went on. He was angered because he had to adjust to her friends constantly hovering around her, especially the men. He was restless at having to be away because of the missions and trips. He was sexual frustrated, but having to force himself to be patient with his mate.

Six days he went without seeing her – it was almost unbearable. He had travelled nonstop to the portal site at the border and appeared in the warehouse in Tokyo. The guard that greeted him handed him the bag he demanded be collected from Shirakawa-go. He didn't know why he asked for the damn things in the first place. From there, he had to make his way to Hakone in the early hours of the morning.

When he arrived, he had entered the house through Karen's bedroom. She wasn't there, but he could smell her downstairs. Just being in her room seemed to comfort his mind, and when she arrived, all he wanted to do was drink in the sight of her untouched body. Which was why, when she returned to her room, he wanted her shirt off. He needed to see more of her body. Only, she protested. She was always halting his hands. Angry at his lack of control, he stormed off to get a hold of himself.

He hadn't expected her to heed his demands… until he heard her shirt hit the ground. He thought he had imagined the sound, but when he glanced down, there was her shirt. When he lifted his head, he was startled at the sight of smooth skin and her covered breasts – how could he have ever thought they were meager? She had _grown_. They were right there in front of him, untouched and unmarred by anyone. She was untouched everywhere.

He could have taken her right then. He _should_ have taken her right then. What the hell did he care if that bastard was snoring in the background? It was just sex.

But when he looked up, she wasn't even looking at him. It was as if she was trying to keep from bolting out the door. She was always easy to read, even without his jagan. He realized that she was forcing herself to his demands because she believed he would not be focus for the mission or that he would not come back again. He almost shrugged at the theories. He had readied himself to rip off those skimpy shorts, but he could feel her trembling.

She was making him feel guilty again. It was with every ounce of discipline he had that he forced back his demons ways to respect the sacrifice she was trying to make with her body. He wanted her ready, but she wasn't even aroused. If he caught even a whiff of her arousal, he would have known she was ready to accept him. Once that happened, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold back.

Still, he couldn't turn her away. He welcomed the way she was offering herself to him, but he wasn't going to force anything. Instead, he settled for kissing the exposed skin of her stomach and sides. He relished in the feel of her skin against his calloused hands. He eyed the expose tops of those beautiful breasts… she was never supposed to be beautiful to him. What happened to average? What happened to just pretty?

But she was, wasn't she – beautiful? It seemed the separation opened his eyes to his mate. Karen was a beautiful woman.

Everything had changed.

He could hardly keep from touching her, but he kept from pushing too far. He knew he should have slept, but he needed to hear her voice. Just that one time, he wanted to keep her talking. Yet, the one time he wanted her to babble and she clammed up on him. _That little fool,_ he glowered. Beautiful woman she may be, but at times, she frustrated him.

Hiei trailed after the team with a scowl. His situation was growing complicated. There were things he still needed to accomplish, but the priestess business was getting in the way. He needed to tell that damn Detective to keep from interfering and reveal that Karen was his mate. He was now going to be horribly possessive since he glimpsed her body. This group was lucky he had a good hold of his emotions, because he had half a mind to lash out at any minute.

"You're going to have to explain this mate business to Karen, Hiei." Kurama warned. "She's too friendly and will unknowingly provoke your jealousy."

Hiei voiced lowly, "I'm handling it, fox."

The redhead remained silent and they continued further into the temple.

One week was shitty enough, but how the hell was he going to handle the separation when she went off to train?

* * *

Slumping against a tree, I panted for air. It felt like we had been running for hours. Kenji was in much better shape from all the training he did for tennis and was allowing me a few moments to catch my breath. Now, I really hated myself for splurging this past week.

"I think we should keep heading in that direction." I pointed ahead of us.

"You've been saying that for the last few minutes," he stated while glancing around the isolated park.

It was true. I felt like we needed to keep going in that direction. In fact, it felt like some unknown destination was just through the trees. Yet, Kenji kept trying to divert my attention and lead me in another direction.

"No, we're really close," I insisted.

I didn't wait for Kenji as I bounded through a thicket of shriveling trees. Pushing through the brambles, I almost shrieked at the sight. There was a crystal-like structure peeking up from the ground and before the entrance were the lifeless bodies of two uniformed men. I remembered the uniforms from Spirit World. They were a part of SDF.

"No," breathed Kenji. "Do you remember the temple everyone left for?" I nodded numbly. "Well, I think we just stumbled into the mission." Turning to me, he said worriedly, "that's why you kept running in this direction. Karen you're drawn to the temples – we need to get out of here."

Licking my lips, I said, "but Yusuke and the others are inside. Maybe we can find them before that –"

"Lord Yusuke," murmured a voice respectfully, "how do you know him?"

"Stay away!" threatened Kenji as he whirled around to face Hokushin.

Despite hardly knowing this stranger, I did not feel threaten by him. However, we were outmatched if this monk was a demon. Remembering the tone of his voice as he asked about Yusuke, I whipped my cell phone from my pocket. My background picture was a picture of Yusuke, Keiko, Hiei, and I when we went to Mt. Fuji.

"You don't want to hurt us." I held my phone up as if it possessed celestial powers. "Lord Yusuke is my father!" I felt silly at uttering the empty threat. He probably never mentioned me. He was my adoptive father for school purposes… And he wasn't old enough to be my father.

"I knew you're name rang a bell," breathed Hokushin. "That explains Puu's behavior," he pointed to the bird in his arms. "Puu only trusts those his human self is close to – he would not have flown so willingly into your arms." Bowing his head, Hokushin said, "Lord Yusuke has mentioned you. I am good friends with your father and his second-in-command."

I sagged in relief. "Kenji, I told you he didn't seem hostile."

Kenji still kept his fists clenched. "Don't give in too easily, Karen. He could be lying!"

How do I explain to Kenji that I just had this astounding feeling that Hokushin could be trusted? I didn't understand the feeling – but Hokushin was telling the truth. "You have to believe me!" Remembering Hokushin say he was Yusuke's second-in-command, I imagined he was more than capable of fighting. "I think it's too late. If he wanted to, he would have killed us by now."

"Prove it," insisted Kenji to Hokushin. He ignored my beliefs.

"He was always mentioning the sumo matches you two watched," Hokushin replied calmly. I stared up in awe at the monk. "You won't believe how many times he's complained that no one appreciated sumo anymore until you came to live with him." Raking me with his eyes, he tilted his head, "but you're not as he described. He mentioned you were scrawny and never ate enough."

My amazement faded and I wrinkled my nose. His statement was enough to point out the fact that I had gained weight. Sighing, I put my phone into my back pocket. Oh well. It was bound to happen.

"You're in danger, Miss Karen," murmured Hokushin as he eyed the guards up at ahead. "We are trapped in a Spirit Barrier. It wasn't here when I chased Puu into the park."

"You know," began Kenji softly, "about… Karen?"

"Yes," he answered, but he didn't elaborate. Instead, he continued with his story. "I came here to bring Puu to the warehouse nearby, where the guards were supposed to take him. He's important to Lord Yusuke and needs to be placed in protective hands. I was also going to join Lord Yusuke, but Puu went crazy. I ended up chasing him for hours and I missed the rendezvous time." His voice was almost a whisper as he talked. "So, I went into the warehouse to seek directions to the temple and deliver Puu, but the guards were dead inside. I left the building but Puu went crazy again. You met me shortly after I entered the park."

"Wait." Kenji indicated somewhere behind us, "you said the barrier had not been there when you chased that bird into the park. Are you saying whoever made this barrier trapped us inside?"

"Well, there are actually two barriers. One barrier was put in place long ago to hide the temples from prying eyes. That is the first barrier. The second barrier seems to keep anyone from entering, but it's strange that it allowed us in."

Kenji slapped a hand to his forehead and grumbled dismally. "Karen."

"What," I bristled at the tone as if it were my fault.

"I think the second barrier was placed by the enemy. I bet anything it opened up when she came within a mile of the barrier. She's drawn to these things," Kenji pointed at the crystal structure leading into the ground. "It allowed you inside because she was near and when we crossed, it closed up. It's a trap."

It was my fault! "Oh, no," I moaned quietly. "What are we going to do?"

"Night is falling," whispered Hokushin. At his voice, I shivered. It was growing cold. "We cannot remain out here. I smell snow fixing to drop. I am also weary of what danger may be lurking out," he eyed the guards, "I think enemies are sneaking around and we will need shelter." He turned to us, "I will not allow any harm to come to you two and to protect you fully we must seek shelter inside the temple."

"No way," dismissed Kenji. "I know about these temples. They're full of dangerous obstacles and puzzles."

"I have been in a temple. The first floor was an entrance. It was safe. It's not until one enters further inside that the dangers begin. We will stick to the first floor. If it is dangerous," he glanced down at me with a firm gaze, "I will make sure you are protected. Your soul is too valuable, Miss Karen."

"It's just Karen," I reminded softly.

"Well, Karen, you must trust in me now. I am loyal to you, as you are my king's daughter."

"But he's –"

Hokushin interrupted me before I could say that it wasn't by blood. "He claims you. We monks have known for many months."

I didn't know what to make of that, but there would be time later to ask him.

We had no other choice. Hokushin was the more experienced fighter. I was dreading our situation as we ran toward the temple. Climbing down the steps, we waited for Hokushin to venture inside first before entering. When he waved us in, my eyes widened at the interior of the temple.

The inside looked like a room full of ceiling-to-floor mirrors. It was like waltzing into another world. The room reminded me of an icicle cave. Turning slowly, I eyed my reflection. I was everywhere.

There was a soft hoot and the penguin flew over to me. The strange bird hovered before me and I reached for the blue creature. He was cold. I sighed wearily when the bird burrowed back into the confines of my vest and huddled against my chest.

"How is that bird important to Yusuke," asked Kenji while we continued to eye the crystals.

Hokushin glanced at the bird. "Puu is Lord Yusuke's Spirit Beast. They are one. If Puu dies, then so will Yusuke. Puu's existence helped revived Yusuke when he had died at the age of fourteen."

I frowned. "Hey, I remember that story."

Paling, Kenji eyed Puu fearfully. "Oh my god, I slapped Yusuke!"

In response, Puu gave an indignant hoot and glared from within my jacket. Patting Puu's head, I said quietly, "don't be grumpy. He didn't know better."

We didn't move too far from the entrance, but the draft from the doors was making me shiver. I wished I had thought to wear a thicker jacket. Puu provided a bit of warmth against my chest, but the rest of me was numb. I walked in a jerky circle to keep from stiffening up. Kenji was busy marveling at the texture of a nearby column. Hokushin was seated on the ground and staring pointedly at the door.

It was after I began my twentieth circle when Puu began shrieking within my jacket. I wondered if I had squished the creature from my crossed arms. However, the bird flew into the air with a wild cry.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hokushin leaped to his feet with his hands curled into fists. His eyes were narrowed as he faced the door. "Someone is coming," his eyes hardened, "a half-breed. You two must hide," He flashed us a grim look, "but do not leave this room. Now, go!"

Following his order, I ran toward the farthest column in the room. It was going to be hard to hide in a crystal room, but the farther away, the better. Puu flew ahead of us and ducked behind a large crystal wall. Following Puu's example, Kenji and I hid behind the wall while peeking around the sides. Puu settled atop of Kenji's head and shivered.

The temple doors burst open and a gust of wind whistled inside the temple. The wind hit my face and I ducked behind the wall. Hearing loud footsteps, I peeked back around the wall. A tall, cloaked figure was walking casually toward the monk waiting in the middle of the room.

"Hey, monk," greeted the stranger in a cool voice. "Long time no see."

"You," Hokushin hissed, "Takeo."

Takeo chuckled and the laugh echoed within the room. "I'm happy," he replied in a cheery tone, "you remembered my name."

"This is creepy," whispered Kenji, "a hooded demon, or half-breed, whatever, with humor."

Takeo turned toward our location and lifted a hand to give a casual wave. Kenji and I stiffened, both of us scrambling away from the sides. Kenji was right. This Takeo was creepy.

"Pay them no mind," order Hokushin as he rolled back his sleeves. "You deal with me. Leave them alone."

"I wasn't planning on hurting them." It was odd to hear Takeo sound sincere.

"I don't trust you. Despite what you say, I will protect them with my life."

Takeo lifted a gloved hand and examined the leather. "Protect them," he drawled, "or just the young woman?"

Swallowing, I huddled against the column and stared at my reflection the wall. I heard the sound of two sets of footsteps moving.

"I think we have unfinished business." I heard Hokushin announce after several seconds.

"Suit yourself." The sound of Takeo's cheery voice was unsettling. "Just remember, it's all about having fun."

* * *

Yusuke picked at his burnt sleeve and scowled. His shirt was practically ruined. His sleeves were burnt and fraying at the ends. The rest of his shirt was hanging in strips. Growling, he ripped off his shirt in one swipe and flung the fabric onto the ground.

Kuwabara leaned against a wall and sighed loudly. The top portion of his curls was singed and he hoped there wasn't a bald spot. If there was, he was going to have to do a comb over. Huffing, he glanced at the rest of the team.

The little priestess, Nessa, was panting tiredly and had black soot upon her cheeks. The rear end of Valon's jeans was burnt badly. She had a large patch of black on her bottom. Out of the two guards, only the taller one's robes were frayed at the ends. Kuwabara didn't like cloaked people, but the SWAT members seemed trustworthy. Eyeing the taller guard, he noticed the slender form. He would bet this guard was a woman. She was taller than his Shizuru.

Kurama was sitting upon a crystal boulder and looking extremely tidy. Kuwabara grumbled. Kurama hardly ever damaged his clothes or hair. Likewise, Lena resembled the redhead's appearance. Genkai was scowling. The cuffs of her sleeves were singed. As always, Hiei appeared bored with the entire situation and was leaning against the farthest wall.

"Damn," Yusuke stuffed his hands in his pockets, "I didn't think we would have to go through an obstacle like that – I felt like I was in Grandma's boot camp."

"At least ya ass didn't catch on fire," Valon snootily replied. "These were my favorite, too."

Yusuke placed his hands behind his head and snorted. "Yeah, that was funny. You're lucky Kuwabara risked his delicate curls to save you. Actually," Yusuke looked Kuwabara over with a smirk, "I think he looks better now."

Kuwabara patted his head for the tenth time and fumed at Yusuke. "Hey," he said crossly, "my hair is still ten times better than yours, Urameshi."

Valon felt like elbowing the spirit detective, Yusuke, in the back. He was entirely too cocky. He kept making fun of her and the tall man with beady eyes. Seeing his naked chest, she blushed. Asshole or not, he was extremely sexy. Not that she would ever attempt anything with the jerk. She just liked looking, like any single woman. She glanced discreetly at the other men. All the men were sexy, chiefly the one with long, red hair and dreamy, green eyes. These foreign guys were handsome.

At almost twenty-one years old, Valon was in the prime of her life. She had a few lovers and enjoyed the sight of good-looking men now and then – what woman didn't like a nice bod? But she wasn't here to gawk and she sucked at flirting. She was too tomboyish (not that she couldn't dress or attract now and then).

She stared at the far room where a tall demon leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. He looked _dangerous_. Dark hair, red eyes, hard-cut face, and extremely well built all pointed to the delicious, bad boy. She eyed the way his shirt stretched taut across his chest as he kept his arms crossed. Heh, she wasn't in to the aloof, hot guys. But dang, was he hot!

She almost jerked when the sexy demon lifted his head and glared at her in disgust. _Dang_, she thought inwardly. Bad was an understatement. She pitied any woman that fell for his looks. He was intimidating as hell. Despite his glare, she couldn't help glancing down to his pants. She just imagined any woman wrapping her legs around his waist would be overkill. He'd probably kill the woman from sheer sex! She gave a silent prayer for any woman that crossed his path. Then, she made another prayer that some woman could make him fall, hard. _Take that_, she finished.

Returning to Kuwabara's aid, she defended the man's loaf of singed hair. Valon liked this man's weird hairdo. It reminded her of freshly baked bread. The curls even made her think it was steaming from the oven. His hair even smelled a little charred. She was hungry.

"I like your bread," blurted Valon when she interrupted the two men arguing.

"My bread," stated Kuwabara with a flutter of his eyelids.

Valon winced. She didn't mean to say that about his hair. He was the only one that made an effort to defend her from that cocky man's jibes. "I mean ya hair! I said hair!"

Yusuke threw his head back and quaked with laughter. Tears were streaming from his eyes and his stomach shook. Kuwabara was fuming and rubbing both hands over his hair as if it were a magic lamp with a genie inside. Valon sighed and slouched away. _So much for making friends,_ she thought glumly.

Lena walked past Yusuke and eyed the area ahead of them with a curious stare. Ahead of them was an empty space that led to a narrow corridor. However, as Lena reached out, her hand brushed against a wall. There were a series of gasps when the wall rippled like water.

"What the hell was that?" Kuwabara questioned when he poked the wall. It was cool to the touch. He gave a few more pokes.

"It's a barrier," Lena answered softly. "It needs to be broken with one of our priestesses' energy. Nessa will be a good candidate. Yet, we need our priestesses at top condition, so a rest in in order. Valon is injured and Nessa's power is drained for the earlier task."

"Which task was that?" Yusuke pondered stupidly. They had already hurtled through several obstacles throughout the day.

Genkai sat down and tiredly rolled her shoulders. "The task where we had to cross that gap using the correct path of the blocks on the ground." Sometimes, her former student was an idiot. "She used her mind powers to predict which blocks to step on in order to make it across, dimwit."

"The area we entered from has a barrier as well," announced Kurama when he touched the invisible barrier before him. It rippled gently.

Cursing, Yusuke kicked at the ground. "So, we're stuck now?"

Ignoring Yusuke's curse, Lena settled onto the ground. "For now, we should rest."

Settling in different spots, a loud rumble disturbed the group. Everyone's eyes shot up to the trembling ceiling. Valon inched closer to the shorter SWAT member, but paused before knocking into him. Puffing her chest out, she tried to appear tough.

Kurama regarded the ceiling with a frown. "Can you sense the demon energy?" No one answered his soft question. "A battle is ensuing."

"Let's hope the person on our side wins," growled Yusuke.

* * *

A loud explosion erupted and the crystal-like walls shook violently. The ceiling chipped and a few pieces came crashing down. The intensity of the battle was destroying the room. Shards of crystal were screeching as they hit the cool floor.

Raising my arms, I shielded myself from small chunks of the crystal. Puu was shrieking in fear at the pieces splashing against us. I heard Kenji cursing when one piece went slicing against his arm. There was a loud roar and the walls shook again. This time, I joined Kenji in the curses. I could feel tiny cuts along arms. My sleeves were being cut into from the shards.

Hokushin and Takeo were in a fierce battle, both demons zooming around the room. Most of the time, they looked like blurs, each one flashing in and out of view. I wasn't sure how much time had pass, but it felt like hours. In spite of the demons' speed, I watched the fight to the best of my ability.

At one time, both men parted and stared at each other. They had been breathing hard, chests rising and falling. Takeo remained cloaked, but his coat was torn in several places. Hokushin's robes were also tattered and his fists were bleeding. The break last only a minute before they went blurring back into battle.

While huddling against the column, I glanced at the wall ahead and noticed a growing blue light. It was dim at first, but within a blink, the light flared in intensity. I shielded my eyes to keep from being blinded and a loud whistle screamed in my ears. The entire room trembled. Shards were hurtling down and I could only pray nothing big landed on us. It sounded like a jet had nuked us with glass.

As the light died down, I was able to see the trembling ceiling. Sucking in air, I rolled out of the way when a large piece came zipping down. I searched for Kenji, but he was fine. However, he was staring around the column with wide eyes. I joined him.

Instead of one Takeo, there were three Takeo's, all spread out on the far side of the room. The Takeos' were bent and breathing harshly. Across the room, Hokushin was sprawled onto the ground. He was not moving. My insides twisted in fear.

Watching the scene, two of the Takeo's flickered out of sight, and the real Takeo rubbed at his left shoulder. With a pained grunt, he began limping toward Hokushin. He only took three steps before he fell to a knee and moaned brashly.

"No, Hokushin," I whispered worriedly under my breath.

"Karen," hissed Kenji in warning.

Ignoring the warning, I darted away from the column and toward the monk. Takeo was trying heavily to reach Hokushin but kept hitting the ground. He was in great pain. A puddle of blood was trailing behind him with each attempted step. I hurried to Hokushin's side.

"Hokushin," I touched his face. "Hokushin, you have to get up!"

Blood trickled from the corner of Hokushin's mouth, but his face was not twisted in pain. Glancing down his body, I could not see any gaping wounds. He had a dozen scratches along his face. But why was he unconscious if he had no major injuries? Maybe his wounds were internal.

Kenji's hand came into view and he placed his fingers against the monk's neck. I watched Kenji's face for confirmation. Frowning, Kenji leaned down and pressed his ear to Hokushin's chest. I held my breath for the longest second of my life. Slowly, Kenji lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. He shook his head.

Hokushin was dead. Yusuke's friend was dead. This monk had given his life to protect us. He had died at the enemy's hand. Such a kind man that had greeted us so politely was now cold and lifeless. I felt numb.

Standing, I turned back to Takeo. He had paused several feet away and had his head bowed. I think we were too scared to move. I think we were waiting for Takeo to pass out in his blood. I think we were hoping for too many things.

Panting, Takeo lifted his head and the harsh action flung his hood away. Dark, brown bangs fell over a black headband. His tanned skin seemed threatening against the light, blue hue of the crystals. And his eyes kept flickering from cold red to soft gray. It was as if he was struggling to gain control. He trembled every time his eyes went red. His face was somber when his eyes turned gray. What the hell was he?

A loud crack rang in the air and I lifted my eyes to the ceiling. A car-sized chunk of crystal was dangling away from the ceiling and above Takeo's kneeling form. There was a single second before the crystal tore away where I stared into this demon's gray eyes. He was lost, sorry, and trapped – hurting.

Acting on instinct, I sprinted toward this demon. Kenji was screaming and the crystal above was wailing in the air. I leaped the last few feet and collided against Takeo's body. We sailed across the floor and rolled away from the danger. I heard the chunk of crystal crash and the shards went pinging in every direction.

When we stopped rolling, he was smothering me with his weight. I was dizzy and breathless from the chaos of dodging the debris. Shaking my head, I heaved against his chest and wriggled from beneath his body. He didn't stir. He wasn't moving. Yet, I knew he was alive because I had felt his breath against my face.

I saved him.

"Karen," yelled Kenji worriedly. Reaching me, he placed his shoe against Takeo's injured shoulder and his hands beneath my armpits. He yanked me free from the demon. "Did you hit your head?" I was startled to hear how furious Kenji sounded. "You could have been killed!"

"I'm sorry," I hurried to apologize. "I know it was stupid, but he wasn't in control of himself!"

"Karen, you can't do things like that!" He swept a hand down at Takeo's unconscious body. "You can't!"

Remembering Takeo's eyes, I argued, "Kenji, you have to believe me! I could see it in his eyes –"

Brows furrowing, Kenji had never looked angrier. "This isn't funny! This is real –"

I was getting tired of people thinking I didn't understand the situation. I had to hear it from Yusuke. I had to hear it from Hiei. I was not going to hear it from Kenji.

Angered, I stamped my foot. "I'm tired of everyone –"

The ground crumbled beneath us and a scream ripped from my throat.

* * *

Picking at the crystal floor, Yusuke sighed in boredom. "This blows."

"Urameshi, be quiet," scolded Kuwabara at his friend's manners. "There's a lady resting."

Turning his head, Yusuke saw Nessa leaning against Genkai's shoulder. She was breathing quietly with her eyes closed. The short priestess was horribly weakened. The toll of the tasks was weighing her down.

Yusuke grumbled under his breath. They had all been waiting for two hours, listening to all the odd rumblings above them. Yusuke knew that SDF and SWAT guards were loitering outside the temple, because there were several lower class demons running around in the park. But the energy signatures above, belonged to two powerful demons. He was growing uneasy with having to wait within this sealed off room. The energies may be a dozen floors up, but the fact that could feel the auras this far revealed that the fight was deadly.

Yusuke hated waiting. However, he knew Genkai and Lena were right. They needed the priestesses at full strength to test out the ritual that would destroy the temple. They had a leg up on their opponent with this ritual. Lena was positive that Cain would not know about this ritual. Yusuke was hoping that this Cain was not at full strength… he wanted something positive on that hope.

They were also here to retrieve the captured priestess – killing two birds with one stone. She was here in this temple. This supposed Cain was in this temple. Yusuke's hands clenched tightly. He hoped the young girl was alive. His eyes hardened. He hoped he was strong enough to fight.

"Does anyone else think it is a little quiet up there," murmured Kuwabara uneasily, "because both energies are gone."

Kurama stared past the barrier from where they had entered. He eyed the empty room and glanced up at the ceiling of that room. "The outcome must have been great if both energies are gone – no victor or one of them is concealing their energy."

Kuwabara tossed a crystal pebble into the air and caught it. He was getting a bad feeling every time they journeyed farther into the temple. He didn't like it.

"Do you hear that," asked a feminine voice. It was the taller SWAT member.

Lena headed toward the barrier beside Kurama. "People are screaming."

The group huddled closer to the barrier and stared into the empty room they had left earlier. The ceiling was shaking. The screams intensified with each second until piercing the air when a hole opened up in the ceiling. Chunks of crystal poured from the opening and shrilled in the air like crashing glass. There was a murmur of voices as four figures went tumbling from the opening. Strangely enough, a little bird was flapping around the figures.

"Puu," hissed Yusuke.

The said bird shrieked loudly and the four figures froze in mid-air, just inches from hitting the floor. With a flap of his wings, the figures landed the rest of the way.

"There's Hokushin," Yusuke pointed out when he spied the monk, "he was supposed to meet us at the warehouse, but he lost Puu. Damn bird is restless these days –"

"That can't be," murmured Kurama, "Kenji, is it?"

Kuwabara jabbed a finger at the barrier, "yes, it is! Look, Karen's there, too!"

"What the hell are those kids doing in Nikko," seethed Yusuke.

Valon frowned wearily at Yusuke's throbbing vein. She stared at the unconscious forms beyond the barrier. She spotted the said 'kids'. They didn't look like kids, because they looked slightly younger than she was – and she was not a kid. She caught movement from the side and lifted a brow. The scary, silent demon was approaching the group with a surprised expression. It was the most emotion she had seen on his face for the last several hours. These people must be important.

"Uh, hey," Valon nodded toward the unconscious figures, "who's the other guy?"

Yusuke squinted at the fourth figure. His eyes widened. Slamming his hands against the barrier, Yusuke struggled to break through the barrier. "It's Takeo," he growled. "He was the half-breed Hokushin fought with on my lands. He warned us about the traitor."

"He has to be working for Cain," Kurama stated while running his hand over the barrier.

"Karen," whispered Nessa from the group. She had awakened when Yusuke yelled.

Turning to Nessa, Valon asked, "Nessa, you know who she is?"

Nessa met Valon's gaze. "She's our sister, Valon. She's a priestess."


	29. Where Is My Mind?

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Where Is My Mind?

* * *

I was flipping, tumbling, and rolling for ages through darkness of unknown depth. Screams tore from my throat as glass scraped along the walls and the cries echoed along with wailing shards. I could only see reflections off passing glass in the gloom around me. My stomach was clenching with every second of this plummet. Objects were scraping against my body. I didn't know if it was glass. I didn't know if it was my companions. I didn't know which side was which – I might have been upside down. All I knew was the horrible fear that, no matter how endless this cavern, ground would soon greet us. Death was waiting.

Flickering light was approaching and I reeled in horror. It was the end of the road. Another second and I could see the crystal floor. Before the impact, I closed my eyes. A warm feeling washed over me and it felt like a string jerked against my navel. I grunted at the action. Then, the string snapped. I hit the floor with a groan.

Crystals sprinkled in a crescendo to echo in my ears. The floor was cool against my skin. I was scared to open my eyes, but forced my eyelids open. A large chunk of debris reflected my eyes and I could see myself sprawled on my side. I was alive. Holy hell, I was still alive!

Inhaling shakily, I willed my nerves to settle as the adrenaline from falling several minutes continued to attack my veins. My muscles were trembling, but I clenched my jaw to force some resistance to the shivers.

After several deep breaths, I was calm enough to push myself up from the cold floor. Sitting up, I touched my forehead. I had a small cut. A stray crystal must have knocked against my head. Wiping away the already drying blood, I searched my surroundings.

"Kenji," I gasped.

Kenji was sprawled on his back a sizeable distance away. Staggering onto my feet, I hurried over to his side. Panic was racing again inside me. I wondered if it would ever leave. Kneeling at his side, I eyed the large cut at his temple. I tried not to panic, but seeing the blood trickling from the cut was still a sight. I remembered a movie saying that head wounds looked worse off than they were because of the blood. But that had been a movie.

He didn't look hurt anywhere else. Not trusting my eyes, I held my hand before his mouth. His warm breath blew harshly against my fingers. His breathing was strong. I had to hope that was a good sign.

Exhaling loudly to soothe the panic, I searched for something to wipe his head. I knew I had some tissue in my purse, but the little bag was gone. Glancing down at my vest, I grimaced at the sight of the blood covering the fabric. I yanked the zipper down and tore off the vest. The hem of my shirt was tattered. I quickly tore a good chunk of the fabric away. I still had another shirt underneath.

"Kenji," I said aloud, "you're in luck. Your glasses are still intact." Talking to him even if he was unconscious made me feel better.

"Puu!"

I looked up from where I was cleaning Kenji's temple. Yusuke's bird was flying toward me with its earflaps. Just the sight of the bird made the situation more bearable. I caught the bird and hugged the creature to my chest. He made me feel calmer – like Yusuke was here with me.

"Okay, sit right here and watch Kenji," I instructed Puu. I flipped my ruined vest over and settled it beneath Kenji's head to use it as a pillow. The blood was slowing from his wound, but I left the shirt fabric on the cut. Puu was sitting on his chest.

Dusting my hands, I stood and stared around the room. It was massive compared to the first room, but had the same columns of crystals. Only, the columns in this room were gigantic. The width of one was as long as a small house. The crystal columns reached several stories high. Yet, these crystals didn't give off any reflections. I thought that was strange. They must be made of something non-reflective.

Across the room were two other people. I shifted away uneasily. Hokushin was sprawled onto his back beside Takeo. Staring at Takeo, I prayed he would stay down. I may have saved him, but things were out of control. My actions didn't make sense. I felt that the demon was trapped, but even I couldn't comprehend why it was necessary to save him. Something just pulled at my gut.

"Karen…" moaned a voice behind me.

Turning around, I returned to Kenji's side. He was sitting up and touching his head. He cursed at the bloody fabric. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Owwww," he wailed while touching the cut at his temple. "I got a killer headache." He hunched over and rubbed at his rear. "I got a killer ass ache."

Any other time, besides our current situation, Kenji's sentence would have enticed immature laughter from the aching of his butt. He gave a little grin anyways. I shook my head with a small smile.

"How long was I out?" asked Kenji when he fixed his glasses more firmly against his face. They were a little crooked and the lenses had scratches, but they were unbroken.

"Not long," I helped him stand. "A few minutes, maybe?"

He nodded. Raking an eye over me, he frowned. "Are you hurt?"

"Just this cut," I pointed to my forehead. Tapping my head with my knuckles, I said, "but trust me, I have a strong forehead."

Nothing more was said, but we both eyed the demons across the room. Puu settled on my shoulder, but I didn't acknowledge the gentle creature.

Our situation was in the deep end. Hokushin was dead. Takeo may or may not be dead. We had fallen down who knows how many floors. We were trapped inside a temple where a dangerous mission was taking place. The temple, as elegant as it looked, was becoming a catacomb of fear. We both had no idea what danger lurked ahead or behind us.

I didn't even want to think about my stupid soul.

And I was scared. I was human. Kenji was human. We didn't have any secret powers or mystical weapons to defend ourselves in this nightmare. So much had happened in such a short time. This was reality. We were just plain, weak humans trapped inside this temple where demons and the other mystical beings existed.

Clenching my hands into fists, I crossed my arms to keep from trembling. I didn't want Kenji to see my fear. I didn't want Kenji to feel as if he had to be the strong wrong. I didn't want to crumble into a ball of tears. But they were hovering at the edge of my eyes – I forced them back by biting my tongue. I had to be stronger than this.

Peeking over at Kenji after a lengthy silence, I could see his hazel eyes assessing our situation. His lips were in a taut line. His eyes were coolly narrowed. His head was tilted curiously. This was his chess playing face. I know, because he always beat me at chess. He was strategizing.

Kenji may act goofy and clumsy, but I knew the intelligence of his mind. He wasn't just smart. He was a genius. He could remember an astounding amount of information after a simple read. I think it came from spending too many years alone. Unlike me, he had access to an abundant of books and the best schools. Still, his worst subject was English and Math. He hated grammar. He hated numbers. I thought it was funny.

"We stay here, move on," I swallowed, "or find the way back… that's what you're thinking, huh?"

Kenji laughed weakly, "you're watching my thinking face…"

I smiled timidly, "yeah, and you probably wouldn't want to take up poker. It's too obvious." When he grinned softly, I sighed tiredly. Turning back to watching the demons, I said, "okay, my first choice. We stay here."

"He's still breathing. I can see his chest moving." He grimaced. "He'll wake up soon and I don't know how weak he might be from the earlier battle, but we'll be in trouble."

I lowered my gaze and mumbled. "We move forward and hope we find the others."

"We don't know if they are ahead of us or behind us," he answered simply. "That answer applies to your other choice." He stared at the two exits, each on opposite sides of the ginormous room. "We don't know far we fell. I'm unsure of which way is which and like I said earlier, these temples are dangerous."

"Option one, then," I stated the obvious choice. Things seemed a little less bleak now that we were making a plan. We just had to wait for the others. I turned and stared at a large column at the far side of the room. "We should wait over there –"

"I'll have to kill him."

At those soft words, I whirled around to face him. There was a grim hardness to his eyes and his lips were in a taut line. He looked pale, but there was determination dancing in his hazel eyes. Without meeting my eyes, he demanded gently, "Karen, I'll need you to turn away."

I felt numb as he headed over to pick up a large shard of crystal. "Kenji," I whispered, "you can't. You're not a killer."

Kenji's bangs hid his eyes, but he explained his further observations. "I have to, Karen. He's a demon. You heard him up there. He knows you're a priestess and that's why he killed Hokushin. We're no match for him, but I can take him out before he regains conscious."

I licked my dry lips. My mind was racing for some other way to dissuade him. "No, wait." He grasped the shard firmly and turned toward the demons. "Wait!" He was walking. "Kenji, I can't let you do this!"

"I'm so stupid," he hissed at himself. "We should have stayed in Tokyo. We shouldn't have gone anywhere! This is my fault." Kenji's voice cracked as he uttered his next statement, "… I have to protect you."

Everyone was always trying to protect me. It was destroying them. I remembered the fight from Tokyo where Kuwabara and Yukina were facing Genkai and Lena. I remembered the fatigue in Hiei's eyes as he hid me from the guards. I remembered the fight between Yusuke and Hiei.

Now, the trace of sadness I had seen in Kenji's eyes, from the day I arrived back home, made sense. He was sorry for me, because of my soul. This wasn't his fault. This was my fault. Kenji was going to kill Takeo to protect me. My soul was going to tarnish Kenji's gentle soul. This was a curse. I was a curse now. What have I done to my best friend?

"I should have never told you," I murmured. "I've ruined your life the day I made that phone call. I've ruined your life the day I went into that theater!"

"I don't regret meeting you!" He yelled as he whirled around. "You're my best friend, Karen! You're my only goddamn friend!" I sank to my knees and covered my face at his words. "I am not letting anything happened to soul, not if I can help it!" He voiced angrily. "You don't understand –"

"I understand everything," I lifted my head and pointed at my chest, "because I have to live with this curse! I'm stuck like this!" His eyes widened as I stood to my feet. "I understand that if my soul is taken, then I don't go anywhere. I'm lost. I understand that if my soul is taken, the universe goes out of balance. I understand that I'm a possible sacrifice to help the worlds. I understand that there are so few of us that we're already losing the battle, but I'm trying to be strong! I'm trying!" I reached for the shard in his hand to stop him. "But what kind of friend am I to have involved you in this? I will not let you darken your own soul for mine!"

"_No!"_ Kenji roared and backed away.

Then, he turned and sprinted toward Takeo. He was running faster than I had ever seen him. I couldn't keep up. I couldn't move fast enough. I yelled for him to stop, but I was too late. Terror wrapped around my heart as he kneeled down. He raised the shard high over his head and brought the crystal down swiftly.

* * *

"I can tear it down," Nessa insisted to Lena as she straightened from Valon's side.

Lena shook her head. "No, we need to wait! Those demons are unconscious. You need just a little while longer to recover."

Valon's heart clenched tightly Karen's words. Those words were true. They were cursed. She remembered the night she found out about being a part of this ancient race. She cried for nights after training for hours. She cried because it seemed unreal, unfair, and unbearable. She cried because the world was wretched – why should she have to suffer to bring good back to those that were greedy and cold? But no, she understood the burden. There was still good in the world.

"I can do it!" Valon joined the argument. The rest of the team was arguing behind her and words were echoing in the room. The barrier concealed them from the trapped figures. It was like a see through mirror, where only they could see the four figures.

"Don't be silly, Valon," argued Nessa. "You're stronger than I am and if Cain is here, you're going to be needed. I was chosen to handle any barriers. You're for physical assets."

"It doesn't matter!" Valon eyed the barrier. "Lena said these can be deactivated by any priestess –"

"But it takes substantial amount of energy," interrupted Genkai. "We need you at full strength, Valon, for the fight while Nessa attempts to collect the energy from the temple and destroy it. You're the backup in case it fails. That is the plan."

"They might not wake up," said Kuwabara's as he calmed Yusuke down. "I can't even feel those demon's energies."

Kurama agreed. "He's right. They're horribly weakened." Of course, Kurama didn't want to reveal that it was just as easy to conceal energy while unconscious. He glanced at Hokushin. He didn't know if the demon monk was dead. It was hard to tell unless he could smell him.

Yusuke waved a hand at Kenji. "He's just a kid!"

Kuwabara paced the ground. "Yeah, he should wait."

"No," answered Hiei sharply, "the kill must be made now."

"I agree." Kurama's eyes softened. A first kill was never easy, but Kenji was right. The boy had analyzed everything down to the last detail. He reminded him of himself. "They will not be able to take on a demon. You felt the energies earlier," he said to Yusuke, "and you know how strong he is. No matter how injured, he's dangerous. This is their only opportunity."

Genkai entered their argument and felt the need to calm Yusuke. He may be a badass fighter, but at heart, he was soft. "You were younger than he was when you killed your first apparition." Even as she said it, Genkai couldn't help but feel sorry for the decision the young man, Kenji, had to make.

"I was born to fight." Yusuke glared through the barrier. "Killing didn't bother me because I was a fighter, but if he does this," Yusuke listened to Karen's words, "he'll always remember it."

Hiei felt like pacing with Kuwabara, but he remained rooted near next to Yusuke. Inside, he was cursing the guards that had failed to protect his mate. His nerves were dancing in anger. He didn't know if he wanted to kick the nearest ass or go wring that little fool's pretty neck.

"I've said it before," growled Hiei. "It's a kill or be killed world. This is no different."

Valon may have been play fighting with Yusuke, but she felt bad. He seemed stricken. She was cocky as hell, but she had a kind heart. "Is she your girlfriend?" she asked sincerely.

Yusuke's face wrinkled, but not in disgust. His answer revealed the reason for such an expression. "No," he snapped mindlessly, "she's my kid." The words just came out naturally.

Valon's jaw dropped open. She eyed the young woman. She eyed Yusuke. How can this cocky, asshole be that young woman's father? He hardly looked old enough. His eyes were old, but his body betrayed the experience he must have seen with his eyes. Despite the reasons, she felt sorry for him. This was all bad.

A sudden gasp from Nessa caused everyone's eyes to turn back to the scene. Kenji was running toward Takeo and Karen was struggling to stop him. The shard in Kenji's hands flashed as he fell beside Takeo.

* * *

Before the crystal could make contact, Takeo's hand shot up and wrapped around Kenji's wrist. Takeo had effectively stopped the rock inches from his face. The seconds were strained as Kenji gazed down at Takeo with wide eyes. A few feet away, I was rooted to the ground.

Kenji twitched and the movement had Takeo's eyes narrowing. Blurring into a sitting position, Takeo's other hand came up to push against Kenji's chest. Kenji's scream echoed loudly as he went flying across the room. My cry mixed with his yell as he hit the nearest wall. There was a loud 'thump' and Kenji slid to the ground.

I started toward Kenji when crystals began shifting and Takeo staggered onto his feet. I took another step, but like a rabbit being hunted, froze when Takeo's eyes met mine. They were red again.

Kenji coughed and I flew toward him. Crystals skidded in my direction as Takeo jerked forward a few steps. Tearing my eyes from Takeo, I ran over to Kenji's fallen form. I was not going to leave him.

Kneeling down, I helped Kenji sit up. He kept shaking his head and I realized he was trying to keep from passing out. He lifted a hand and pushed weakly at me. "Karen, run…"

Red stained my hand, but I held in a scream. Quickly, I moved him forward to search for the wound along his back. There was a growing stain of red along the back of his shoulder. I glanced at the wall and noticed the sharp jut of crystal. With the force of Takeo's push, the shard was sharp enough to pierce the flesh of his shoulder. Yet, I couldn't shake the reason that Kenji should be dead. It was as if Takeo hadn't used as much strength as he could have against a human… no matter how weak he was.

Kenji's eyes fluttered, "I'm sorry, but you have to go… please." His head bowed.

Trembling, I stood and turned shakily toward the sound of heavy boots. I lifted my eyes and watched Takeo stalking toward us. His red eyes were narrowed and the bangs swinging in his eyes made him appear venomous. I could hear his ragged breathing. The closer he approached, the more aware I was of his height. The tattered sleeves of his coat revealed tensed muscles.

"_You're my best friend, Karen." _

When I heard those words in my head, I stopped shaking. "You're my best friend, Kenji," I whispered down to Kenji.

I was staying with him to the end.

* * *

Once Takeo's hand wrapped around Kenji's wrist, Yusuke was ready to hurtle through the barrier. Instead, he whirled around toward Lena to say –

"_Tear down this barrier, now,"_ demanded Hiei.

Hiei beat him to it.

Lena nodded. They had run out of time. Taking Nessa by the shoulders, she stared into the little priestess's blue eyes. "It is going to hurt, Nessa. You are not at full strength." If Nessa was worried about the pain, she didn't show it.

Valon scrambled out of the way, as Hiei almost barreled into her in his frenzied pace. The female SWAT guard caught her when she tripped backwards. Back on her feet, she eyed the cold demon and noticed the way his hands were shaking.

"Hiei, man," Kuwabara stared worriedly at the demon. He had foregone his nickname for the demon. He could feel the anger rolling off Hiei. He was worried about Karen, too, but Nessa needed a few hurried instructions from Lena. It was her first barrier. "Calm down, we're almost through –"

"Hurry up," yelled Yusuke. "He's getting to his feet!"

"We need to hurry," Kurama insisted. He was growing nervous about the demon. "Karen is Hiei's mate. I can't guarantee what's going to happen if she's hurt –"

Hearing that, Yusuke swore, _"goddammit!" _

Yusuke thought the two were just together, but the demon had placed a scent claim on her – it had to be a scent claim. Humans couldn't survive a bite mark. Why didn't he think to use his nose when he first spied the difference of Hiei's behavior in Shirakawa-go? Now it all made sense.

This just had to get more complicated. Yusuke wanted to throttle the demon for claiming Karen, but now wasn't the time. He knew Kurama was right. Yusuke had claimed Keiko with a scent when he arrived back from Demon World. Although, he wasn't fully a demon, he understood the assault of emotions the first year – even after. He hadn't suffered too badly, but Hiei wasn't human. He was a full demon.

There was a flash of yellow and Yusuke turned toward the barrier. Throwing up her slender hands, Nessa touched the barrier. It cackled loudly and the surface erupted like water boiling. Lightening flashed from the barrier and around Nessa. She gave an ungodly scream that pierced the air and tore her hands down, as if she were ripping away a curtain. Nessa started swaying to the ground.

Rushing forward, Kuwabara caught the woman in his arms. He glanced up and noticed the barrier still cackling with electricity. "Why is the barrier still up?"

"Hurry," Lena waved her hands and her staff appeared, "she wasn't at full strength, but she's weakened it enough for us to try and break through."

* * *

Takeo's eyes flickered to gray and he knelt down to the ground. I frowned curiously when he shook his head, as if to ward off a fly. Lifting his gloved hand, he smashed his palm against his right eye.

"You have to fight it," I whispered. I don't know what made me voice the statement, but when his eyes were gray, he was normal. The red eyes were not good.

"I know," he hissed. "I haven't had to deal with this in a long time."

I was startled at the admission. He continued to rub at his eye and shake his head. I remained silent. I wanted him to concentrate. Like with Hokushin – I knew he had some good in him. When he had gray eyes, Takeo was not dangerous. I only hoped they stayed gray.

He stood and headed toward me. I eyed his red eyes nervously. Inching away from Kenji's unconscious form, I tried to draw his attention away from my friend. It worked. His cold eyes followed me. I was so scared. I was so confused. But I needed to stall until his eyes were gray again.

Holding up a hand when he continued walking, I said firmly, "I saved your life!"

He paused and his eyes flickered.

"That means you," I searched for the words, "you – you're in debt to me!"

He took another step, but stopped when Puu went flying toward his face. I had forgotten about Puu once Kenji went charging toward Takeo. Puu shrieked and flapped his ears furiously. Calmly, Takeo flicked his finger against Puu's forehead. The little bird went fluttering to the ground with a dazed expression.

Seeing Puu hurt was the last straw and I placed my other hand on my hip. "That was entirely uncalled for, you –"

He blurred from view and reappeared in front of me. I was startled when his chest met my palm. His eyes were a stormy gray. I almost sighed in relief until he leaned forward. I blinked when he gave a distinct sniff. Dropping my hand, I remained frozen. My hair stirred from my face when he sniffed near my neck.

"Interesting," he murmured. Sighing, he leaned up. "All the pretty ones get taken." He blinked his gray eyes and backed away. "Where is your mate and do you have children?"

Kenji was right. Demons with relaxed humor were creepy. "Excuse me?"

"Children," he said with an honest grin. "I'd like to meet other half-breeds."

Backing away, I eyed him wearily. This was all too strange. His eyes were definitely gray and he seemed almost comical. Before the fight, he had been rather humorous, too. He even waved at us. Still, my head was spinning from the turn of events.

"I better heal your friend," he announced. Before I could stop him, he was kneeling beside Kenji. He leaned Kenji forward and placed his hand over the wound in Kenji's shoulder. There was a soft, blue light.

"I'm confused," I said weakly.

"You're right about me being in debt to you," he said seriously when he was done healing Kenji. I noticed that the wound against Kenji's temple was gone. He was completely healed. "I haven't been under such a hold in a long time. I'm usually capable of fighting the mind intrusions, but this was a little tough."

"Mind intrusions," I questioned. Seeing Hokushin's body, I narrowed my eyes. "A little tough – you killed Hokushin!"

His eyelashes fluttered in disbelief. "No, he's still alive."

"But… his heart," I whispered, "Kenji checked his heart. It wasn't beating."

At this, Takeo threw his head back and laughed loudly. I cringed away, wondering if he was an insane demon. Indeed, he seemed to find my statement hilarious because he laughed hard enough to produce tears of laughter. This was so messed up.

"Demon hearts," he flicked a tear away, "they don't beat like human hearts. Unless a demon is stressed, it beats."

I was astounded at the news. I tried to remember if I ever heard Hiei's heartbeat. He breathed well enough, but apparently, demons had a bit of a different anatomy. It was odd.

"The battle," I said after a while, "you guys were fighting so intensely."

Takeo stuck his hands in his pockets. "It was the monk's doing. I think we're friends," he grinned with amusement. "I may have been under control, but I didn't want to fight. He realized that by engaging me in battle, he could help me."

"The blue light – that was you."

"Yes, I misdirected it at the last second. Hokushin had passed out shortly after my attack. I was going to check on him when you came barreling into me." He glanced down at me. "You're forehead knocked me out."

I furrowed my brows. So that was where I got the cut. Crossing my arms, I eyed Kenji. "Well, explain why you nearly killed Kenji?"

"How would you like to wake up with someone aiming a sharp piece of crystal at your head?" He asked sarcastically. "I did act rashly. It's Master's control. I am somewhat able to hone it down, but the headaches it causes are painful." I remembered the way he shaking his head. "Luckily, I didn't push the boy too hard. Again, I was only trying to check him until you distracted me."

When I saw Puu sit up, I pointed at the bird. "What about Puu? You hurt him."

Takeo grimaced and murmured, "I don't like birds. He scared me."

I shook my head with weary sigh.

"Is my monk friend your mate," asked Takeo. He leaned forward and sniffed again like a dog. "No, his scent is different. I don't understand. Why are you without your mate?"

"What are you talking about," I asked with a scowl. I was getting a headache. First, it was chaos. Now, it was insane. What else was next?

His grays eyes trailed over my body and he grinned crookedly. "I highly doubt your mate would leave you unattended," he glanced around, "unless he had to. When you moved from the boy, I realized the claim. That's what distracted me. I was checking your scent, because you had two."

Takeo was like an overgrown boy and a psycho. One minute he was serious and dangerous. The next minute he was random. Like now, he was grinning again. He leaned forward and inhaled deeply.

"Stop that," I shoved him away with a scowl.

"I found your scent." He smiled as if it was an amazing discovery. "You smell really nice."

I was ready to turn and check on the two men when Takeo grabbed my wrist. I frowned at him. He was smiling sincerely. "I forgot to heal your forehead." He touched my forehead with a gloved finger and murmured humorously, "poke."

* * *

"Well," began Kurama when they paused in taking down the barrier, "this is a surprising turn of events."

Yusuke scratched his head. "Maybe that half-breed was being honest when he warned us – I was sure he was only kicking our balls."

Valon curled her upper lip at the vulgar statement. This was why she liked Kuwabara. He was well mannered compared to his friend and he had great bread… hair.

Kuwabara held the unconscious Nessa in his arms and frowned at the scene. "Do you think he's lying?"

Lena was staring with interest at Karen. She didn't have any powers, but she may have a very small ability. It was somewhat similar to Nessa's abilities. Karen seemed to have a knack of knowing when and who to trust. The young woman must have sensed some good in the half-breed. It wasn't much but in such situations, it may prove to be useful for the young priestess. Of course, Lena could be wrong. She would just have to see for herself when she trained the woman.

Hiei growled under his breath and massaged his temple. The situation may have lessened, but he didn't like that half-breed. As it was, he was struggling to keep himself under control. He had almost lost it when that Takeo leaned in close to his mate. His arm glowed dangerously, but Takeo was only curiously checking the scent. Kurama had been quick to remind him to remain calm. _Calm his fucking ass_, Hiei thought murderously.

He heard one of the SWAT members deliver an energy charged kick to the barrier, but the barrier was still cackling. They had refrained from using too strong of an attack when one of Kurama's plant's thorns went ricocheting around the room – which was why Hiei couldn't use the proper attack to take the barrier down. He itched to use his dragon, but he knew better. His attack was unstable from having gone years without using it. He'd kill everyone in this room. If he died, his mate was still vulnerable to the dangers in this temple.

But he lost it. Takeo was leaning in to smell Karen again. Hiei's eyes darkened when he saw the brief desire in the half-breed's eyes from all the way across the room. Karen was ignorant to any advances, but she shoved him away. The control he had fought desperately for, to avoid making careless mistakes, dwindled away. His demon instincts were kicking in and he growled low in his throat. Takeo's hand wrapped around her wrist and he stepped forward.

"Damn it," Yusuke cursed when he saw Hiei move. Charging his fist before Hiei could make a bad move, he slammed it into the barrier. The barrier cackled loudly and disappeared.

* * *

"Thanks," I said when Takeo finished healing my forehead. His healing abilities were similar to Botan's powers. I didn't even have a headache anymore.

"You're welcome, my friend –"

Takeo vanished from sight as a black blur sailed into him. When Takeo crashed into the wall, I eyed his attacker. It was Hiei.

I was startled at the sight of Hiei. Something was wrong with him. His entire body was engulfed in a black aura and his right arm was shaking. He held Takeo up by the throat and against the wall. The sleeve of Hiei's right arm burned away from black flames. A black tattoo spiraled up the entire length of his arm.

"Hiei, you have to control yourself," yelled a familiar voice. I turned to see Kurama charging over. Other familiar people were following him. "If you use your dragon, it's going to kill us all. You'll kill your mate."

"I thought the tattoo disappeared when he consumed the dragon," asked Kuwabara when he approached. I frowned. _Hiei consumed a dragon_, I thought incredulously. I searched my mind for any stories concerning Kuwabara's statement.

"He used the dragon in Demon World for the first time in years this week," Kurama explained. "It's unstable again because he hasn't used it for a long time. The attack drained him terribly and the wound appeared shortly after the dragon faded."

Hearing this information, I thought back to this morning. Hiei had seemed tired and aggravated. He had been entirely too tense until I heeded his demand. [

"Yusuke," I said when he jogged up to Kuwabara's side.

He grinned at me, but when I went to greet him, he shook his head. "Wait, wait, wait," he backed away as if I were a disease, "stay away for now."

"I don't understand." I was hurt. What did I do?

There was a growl and I turned back to Hiei. He had flung Takeo away from him and braced himself against the wall. Takeo slid along the floor and crashed into a column. He rolled over and coughed up blood. I was stricken at the sight of Takeo. He hadn't done anything wrong.

"Karen," whispered Kurama, "I need you to stay away from all of us."

"Why?" Even so, I backed up a step from Kurama. "What's wrong with Hiei?"

Despite his warning, Kurama leaned in to whisper, "I don't want you to be frightened, Karen, but he's going to be a little unstable. He seemed a great deal calmer when he left Hakone this morning." His green eyes were somber. There was a hidden meaning in his eyes. He continued to speak quietly to avoid anyone else overhearing. "I need you to calm him down again, can you do that?"

"H-how," I stammered in confusion.

He darted a quick look to Hiei. "He's going to re-fix the mark." I didn't understand what he was talking about, but his next statement made me shiver. "Don't be afraid of him. Just do as he says."

When someone tells you not to be scared, that's when you get scared. "Kurama –"

"He's coming," hissed Kurama and he went fleeing over to Yusuke.

_Oh no, what do I do?_ I thought fearfully. I turned back to Hiei and inhaled sharply. His eyes were dark like they were in Shirakawa-go those last few weeks. They were narrowed, not in anger, but in a wild, primitive way. I was aware of the way he was breathing, slow and dangerously. I could feel the tension rolling off of him, just like this morning, only it was at a startling high level.

I stepped back.

Everything blurred and I found myself pinned all the way across the room behind the cover of a large, crystal column. His hand cushioned my head from knocking against the wall, but the abrupt movement made me hiss anyways.

His lips crashed against mine and I fought to breathe. This time, the kiss seemed harsh. It was as if he was trying to punish me for something by using his body. Realizing what I was thinking, I paled.

Pushing against him, I tried to force him away. His fingers dug into the back of head and an arm wrapped my waist. He dragged me onto the ground and pinned me there with his body.

"No, Hiei!"

I heard something rip. It felt like my tattered shirt. He bit my neck harder than necessary and his hand snaked underneath my other shirt. Heat trailed furiously as his nails grazed up my belly and toward my chest. Before he could reach my breasts, I worked a hand between us and pushed him away. He growled loudly in warning and his hands flew to my thighs. Pulling my legs up around his waist, he pressed into me and I panicked. I went to shove him off when he pinned my wrists onto the ground. I was ready to move my legs.

"_Keep your legs there,"_ he hissed venomously.

The tone of his voice reverberated from his chest and against my body. My legs locked up and he pressed more against me. When I felt the hardness of his manhood pushing against my core, my eyes widened. It was the first time I had ever felt him. I could feel the heat of his groin through my jeans.

"No," I pleaded. "I'm not ready. Not here –"

"Give me a minute," he growled in my ear. "Don't move."

I swallowed, but heeded the demand. He made no effort to move against me. We were still fully clothed, but the heat was making me tremble. I watched as he turned his attention to my right wrist. He grabbed at my sleeve with his teeth and pulled the fabric back. Returning, he raked the bottom set of his teeth along the outside of my wrist. The pressure was almost painful until he began kissing the skin.

Turning my head, I waited for his _minute_ to pass. I stared at his large hand that held my wrist to the ground. The black of his tattoo trailed from the side of his wrist and spiraled up his right arm. It resembled a dragon. I would have gone on staring in fascination but he was kissing my neck. My eyes fluttered close and I moaned.

"Don't be scared," he breathed in my ear.

"I'm not."

"Then why are you trembling?"

"The ground is cold," I answered simply. It was partially the truth. The icy feel of the crystal floor was seeping through my shirts. "I'm not scared of you." My breath hitched when he nibbled at the side of my neck. "I'm scared of what's wrong with you."

I sighed when he didn't explain his behavior. However, he seemed a great deal calmer. The tension I felt earlier was almost absent, except for his rigid length – that was still tensed. Testing his behavior, I slowly lowered my legs. I was so eager to keep from moving that they were quivering with fatigue.

"Karen," he warned with lilt of a growl. "Keep them up."

Huffing, I replied, "I'm getting tired of holding myself in place."

"If you would just wrap them around my waist," his words were raspy and dark, "then you wouldn't have that problem."

I blushed. "I can't." He held my wrists in place and I had no way of wrapping them around his neck, and lifting my legs more firmly against him. Otherwise, I would be shuffling awkwardly against his body and my legs were tired. "You're holding my wrists. Let me –"

Hiei released my left wrist. Considering that I had taken my shirt off for him and had felt his manliness, I was still unprepared when he placed his entire hand along my bottom. Only, that wasn't what I was unprepared for – his hand was so low that his fingers were almost touching _me_ from behind. He lifted me slightly and I shivered from his touch. It sent delicious tingles throughout my skin.

"Well?" he asked gruffly against the column of my throat as he waited for me to follow through with his suggestion. The way he said that one word snapped my control.

A sense of wildness streaked through me and I spread my thighs wider to clasp him around his hips. I turned my head and eagerly sought his mouth. His hands released my wrists and I wrapped them around his neck with a purring moan. My body felt alive. There was a surge of urgency as I angled my hips against him.

"Not now," Hiei groaned in strained sort of voice. His words sounded angry and pained, like he was suffering. "Damn it," his hands went to my thighs and lifted them higher. "You have the worst timing."

Now I was kissing along his jawline and toward his neck. I felt like biting, moving, moaning, kissing, and doing everything at one time. A huge shiver danced up my spine and a different sort of heat churned in my lower abdomen.

Hiei's hands pushed at my thighs and he lifted himself slightly to create some distance. The coldness of the floor battled against the heat of my body. I felt drowsy as I stared up at him. He was breathing hard and his eyes were clouded in dark red. With a grimace, he removed my hands from around his neck. The realization of how I acted began creeping in and I retracted my hands to my chest. _How embarrassing,_ I blushed. I acted like a sex-starved maniac!

"No," Hiei scolded. "Don't start withdrawing."

Ignoring him, I hugged myself. I was aching everywhere. "Oh my god," I inhaled to clear my fuddled mind.

Leaning down, Hiei gripped the sides of my head and glared down into my eyes. "I want you to remember how you felt just then," he demanded in low rasp. I noticed his voice had changed midway through this bizarre, hot situation. I stared into his eyes. I finally understood the emotions flickering within them – desire and lust. "Do you understand me?"

Swallowing, I glanced away.

He cursed and rolled away. "You make everything more difficult!"

Sitting up, I eyed my tattered shirt. Surprisingly, he hadn't done much damage to the frayed ends. At his curse, I bristled and crossed my arms. I felt frustrated. "You're the one that started this!"

Sitting against the wall, he eyed me over a raised knee. He shot me a nasty glare, "if you would have just let me touch you where I wanted to earlier, then I wouldn't have worked myself up so much."

"I'm not letting you touch my breasts out here." I kept my arms firmly crossed.

He eyed me up and down before saying darkly, "and yet, you prefer finally responding to me by throwing yourself –"

"I didn't throw myself!"

He laughed derisively. Meeting my eyes, he smirked. "What finally turned you on?"

Standing shakily, I refused to answer him. My cheeks felt hot. My body was in a wreck. I hated the way he was smirking. I was confused, tired, frustrated, and scared at all these startling events. _Just let this day end_, I pleaded.

"Do you think they heard… anything?" I asked after a minute straightening my clothes and hair.

"Why do you think I led us all the way here?" He was his rude self again.

Rounding on him, I placed my hands on my hips. "Well, why did you need to lead us all the way here?"

"We're not discussing that right now."

"And what's a mate?"

"What did I just say?"

Not startled at his tone, I continued anyways. "Why did you need to re-fix the mark? It has to do with the scent, right?"

"Karen, not right now," he seethed.

Staring down at him, I snapped. "I hate it when you keep things from me. It makes me really mad, damn it!"

At my statement, he chuckled low in his throat. He was laughing at me! I whirled away and made to leave him. _Damn demon,_ I thought angrily.

Hiei stopped me before I could round the column by grabbing my wrist. "Stay away from the half-breed, Karen."

I tilted my head. Takeo had mentioned something about half-breeds. He must be referring to Takeo as this half-breed. My eyebrows furrowed while I continued thinking. Takeo's words about mates and Kurama's words about Hiei were dancing in my head.

"Is that why you were angry," I asked softly, "because he touched me? A-are you… my mate?"

His jaw tensed. He looked ready to remind me about dropping the topic, but muttered angrily, "Karen, understand that I'm not always going to be in control when I fix my mark. So don't ever," he warned bitterly, "touch another demon," his grip tightened a little, "or _any_ man that I do not know."

I actually didn't touch Takeo. He touched me. It wasn't my fault, but I refrained from arguing about that fact. I think I pushed him too much, anyways. "… What about the others?" I whispered when I thought of Kenji and Yusuke.

He sighed wearily, looking as if he hated to answer my question. "I can tolerate them."

Ducking my eyes, I turned to lead the way back. He pulled me back to him and leaned down to kiss me softly. "We'll talk about it later."

I smiled.

* * *

She was going to be the death of him. Hiei had signed his own death the day he kissed her in that hotel long ago. She was constantly testing his patience, but he had a better grasp on his instincts than he imagined.

He sent his warning message to that half-breed Takeo. That partial demon was younger than he was and like any young, hormone, driven demon, Takeo was purposely toeing his line for fun. If it weren't for the fact that he knew Takeo was a liable source of information for the team, Hiei would have snapped his neck. He didn't care about the team, but he had to assist them because of Karen. It was also, why he needed to reign in his emotions better.

Except, his instincts of wanting to drive in the message into the younger half-breed nearly tempted his dragon. If he were younger, Hiei would have used it immediately despite the consequences of the damage and deaths that would occur – but he had a mate now and he was more experienced to know when to hold back. At least, the wound didn't hurt. He would have been aggravated having to wear those damn seals again.

Hiei had to take a moment to push back his instincts before fixing the disrupted scent on his mate. With the others, he could bear any disturbances, but the half-breed was a stranger. He also didn't like the desire in Takeo's eyes, even if he was only looking. It would also remind Karen, as a warning, in case she ever decided to test his patience by seeking another man. He didn't think she would, but he would have had to put the warning there eventually. She was too beautiful and too innocent to understand that she was now appealing to other men besides him. He was going to have to learn to hold back when others were looking… Damn.

It wouldn't take long to fix the brief flicker against his scent claim. He only needed to speed up the process by using a hint of sexual advances to increase his scent and energy into the claim. He planned on touching her breasts, just through her bra, because they had been on his mind earlier. Those bras were annoying. Demon women didn't bother covering themselves up, but he had been with a few human women to appease his sexual appetite and they wore them constantly. However, since seeing the material covering Karen's soft mounds, he was rethinking his annoyance for them. The material was oddly sexy – a word he never used. He wondered what other colors she possessed in her drawers.

But she had to slap his hand away again. She was always doing that to his seeking hands. It frustrated him. With another woman, he would have left long ago. Needing to fix that scent, he had to resort to using his dominance. Only, she struggled with that, too, by trying to remove those slender thighs from his hips. He was quick to place a little fear when he pressed against her, but he didn't push any more than necessary.

Most of his tension released once he finished kissing her wrist Takeo had touched, but he continued to pour a little more of his energy into his claim. He also needed to calm her quivering body again. A few kisses here and there, and he would have been done – but she just had to move her legs again. He had been enjoying the way they felt along his hips, even if she was hardly gripping him.

When she revealed her reason, he almost, almost laughed, but covered it up by suggesting a way to relax her legs. He had never been with a virgin. He kept to Demon World's experienced women who knew what they wanted and how to go about it. The same went for the few human women he had decided to use when he was away from Demon World too long (hormones kicked up nearly six years ago). He never thought he would choose a virgin mate. He never wanted a mate. He figured her body would guide her, but he was finding out that she needed a little guidance from him. She was proving to follow orders and suggestions better than the ministrations he used.

And then she did start reacting naturally to him. He didn't think she react so wildly when he lifted her tight bottom to allow her to wrap her legs more firmly against him. He actually hadn't expected her to do such a thing. She was timid and predictable – so he thought. Lately, she was proving to keep him second-guessing her actions, like with the shirt. He figured it had to do with how his fingers had almost touched her, which would explain why she reacted the way she did. He had never strayed toward her sex because she wouldn't even let him touch her breasts. If he had known she'd accept the intimate move, he would have done so months ago.

Trust his mate to respond to him when it wasn't the time or place to have sex. He thought he was going to lose it when he responded back by grinding just once. Just that one time sent the heat soaring and the moan he swallowed from her mouth caused intense shivers through his body.

He had waited too long. He had been three months without a woman when she appeared in his life. He had struggled being around her in the beginning because he hated her, yet, he could not acknowledge, that he was also attracted to this younger woman. He was careful to avoid her, tried to, anyways, but there were times when he couldn't resist touching her. But he had waited an additional ten months until this moment – had he known her for so long already? But over a year of being without a woman was too damn long. And being around the same woman for so long without having sex with her was maddening. He was surprised he was able to push her away after her onslaught of pleasurable kisses.

Eventually, he did laugh, twice, once rudely, but the other had been genuine. He wasn't going to allow it to happen again if he could help it, but she was cranky because of her sexual frustration. She didn't even realize it. _Serves her right,_ he scoffed. Now she had a taste of the suffering he had to deal with for the past few months when they began getting serious.

Keeping close to his mate, they walked back to the team. He knew they hadn't heard anything. The room was large enough that he was able to find a secluded location. The crystals didn't even cast any reflections, which was a good thing. He didn't want to put a show on for anyone or reveal her skin when he had lifted up her shirt. He was careful, too, in the end, to smother her moans before they could be heard by anyone other than him.

When they neared the team, he scowled at the look on Yusuke's face. The Detective was checking Karen for any injuries. Hiei hadn't hurt his mate. If anything, he hurt himself from getting carried away. Yusuke frowned in satisfaction and turned to send him an equally dark glower, but he didn't say anything. They had reached an understanding. Yusuke knew the seriousness of claiming a mate. Still, Hiei was ready for any arguments the bastard might tried to provoke.

Glancing down, he met Karen's eyes and saw the question in them. He looked over her shoulder and spotted the Moto boy staring at her, but not in a desirous way, as one of her friends. Kenji knew he couldn't have Karen and he was no challenge to him anyways. Withholding a sigh, he gave a little nod and watched her bound away.

"You ever hurt her and I'll disrupt that mark," warned Yusuke as he sidled up to him. "Then, kick your ass."

Hiei kept his eyes on Karen, watching her hug Kenji with her soft laugh. "That's not going to happen."

"We'll see," muttered Yusuke.

* * *

"Kenji," I sighed in relief. Wrapping my arms around him, I laughed into his shoulder.

"When I woke up, I was worried because you were gone." He squeezed once before releasing me with a sigh. "This is all insane, isn't it?"

Thinking about all that had happened, I agreed. "Well, we're still here, so let's just stay sane until we get home."

With a curious frown, Kenji nodded over at Hiei. "Where did you guys go? I kept asking but no one would tell me. Kurama just said that you would be back in a few minutes."

I fought down the blush by looking down and brushing away imaginary lint. Instead of answering him, I asked a question. "Are you really okay, Kenji?"

Kenji lifted an eyebrow, but didn't press the topic further. He scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I am. Actually, I feel really great," he grinned. "The others explained about Takeo, but," he pouted, "I still don't like him. He hit me."

"No, I pushed you," replied a cheery voice, "and you should apologize to me for trying to kill me."

I turned to regard Takeo. He was standing beside Kenji and towering over him with an amused smile. He didn't look injured anymore. Someone must have healed him or he tended to his own injuries. I was relieved that he was okay.

Kenji paled and his face twisted into an odd expression. He looked like he just ate a lemon. "I'm not apologizing, you creepy demon."

"Why does everyone call me that," grumbled Takeo under his breath. He eyes even drooped in a comical way. "I am not a creepy demon," he uttered darkly. Kenji leaned away at the tone. Then, Takeo's eyes crinkled and he flashed a dazzling smile. "I am a friendly half-breed!"

Seeing Kenji cross his arms, I whispered to him, "you'll get used to him. He's weird, I know, but he means well."

There was a flicker of heat against my neck and I turned to the source. Hiei's eyes were darkening again and I understood the warning in his irises. Before I could move, Takeo abruptly left without a word. I felt bad for Takeo. He was a nice person.

"He really is creepy," Kenji insisted while watching the half-breed slump away. When he turned, Kenji saw Hiei's glare as he watched Takeo walk. "He looks pissed."

I slipped my hands in my pockets and sighed. "He is."

Suddenly, Kenji dipped his eyes in a guilty way. "Yeah… so was Yusuke."

"What?"

"He was asking why we were in Nikko and how we came to be in the temple." Kenji toed the ground. "I told him it was my fault, but he didn't say anything. He just got this vein in his temple." I wrinkled my nose. "They're still trying to figure out what happened to your guards. One of those SWAT guards," he pointed over to a tall, cloaked guard, "said Spirit World had storms two days ago and it shocked the communications system. Apparently, it's still having issues."

I recalled my guards trying to reach someone through a little cell phone. "They were having trouble getting through on their phones." I glanced at the other short guard. "Maybe, since they couldn't get through, they couldn't check to see if we could go to Nikko."

"That's what Kurama thinks," answered Kenji. "The SWAT guards that followed us were following protocols. Priestesses are allowed anywhere, save for Demon World, but these were new guards. They were not allowed in on the mission. It was kept locked down. Still, the guards have to alert Spirit World if you leave home. It's precaution. If the call could have gone through, then we wouldn't have come here."

I frowned at Kenji's glum look, "Kenji, mistakes happen. We couldn't have known Nikko was the place of the mission. It's not your fault."

"But you shouldn't go out."

I crossed my arms. "Kenji, do you really want me to be locked up?"

"No…" Kenji gave an apologetic grin and opened his mouth to respond when he was interrupted.

"We'll have to wait around another hour for Nessa to recover," announced Lena. Kenji and I approached the group. "Nessa will try and weaken the next barrier with a bit of energy." Lena turned to a tall, bronzed woman with red highlights. I liked her hair. "Valon will take care of the rest of the barrier, but we need an hour. Our plans have already changed and we're wearing our priestesses down as it is."

"You still have Karen," stated Valon. She flashed me a grin. "The core reacts naturally with any priestess. Nessa found that out through meditation days ago. It's instinctive to us."

"Karen isn't trained," criticized Genkai.

I ducked my head in shame.

"I'm just saying. We have a backup to our backup," argued Valon.

"Takeo says Master has been in this temple for weeks." Kurama explained while looking at the half-breed. "That is, if he is telling the truth."

"I didn't lie," spoke Takeo dryly. He was serious now and his eyes were narrowed coldly. "I left Master's company when he began using the young priestess. I tried to help her escape, but Master is very strong, not only physically, but also mentally. My warning about the traitor was a sincere gesture, but I have a feeling Master knew what I had done."

"Why were you on my lands?" asked Yusuke suspiciously.

"I told you that I was resting." Takeo slipped a hand in his coat pocket. "I was also supposed to scout your lands for temples and on the side, engage you in battle to see how strong you still were. As you know, I refrained."

"Why didn't you leave Master then," interrogated Kurama. "Why leave only weeks ago?"

"You know Demon World," uttered Takeo darkly, "power is everything. I fell to temptation when Master seemed to be able to bring out my true abilities." Lifting his head, Takeo stared off into the distance, "I left because of the young girl, but before I could, Master hit me with his mind control. He hasn't used it on me in two years and I was unprepared to block it. I am able to fight it, but it is painful. His mind control abilities are always different, so it is hard to fight them. Even so, I fled. I've been watching the temple for weeks. Master knew that two priestesses were still missing from the group that Spirit World placed in protection. I planned on keeping them away if they should come."

"Yes, it was the last bit of information he received from the ogre in Spirit World." Kurama rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "He hadn't planned on one of the priestesses being able to see what he was doing, was he?"

Takeo shook his head. "No, he didn't think any would advance this far. He has distinct plans, like he's played this game."

"Because he has," Lena's eyes were sparkling angrily, "and from what you've described, I know this Master is Cain." There was a series of shift among the group. I swallowed at the sound of our enemy's name. "How long have you known him?"

"Two years." Takeo stared at the ground. "He wasn't as strong as he is now, but it seems like he strengthens slowly. He knows more with passing time. When I met him, he had challenged me. He was seeking fighters, but for what, he never revealed. He trained us to be stronger. He had a way of enticing us with words and of course, his mind. He showed us how strong we can be and we followed him."

"And you're in control now, right?" asked Kuwabara. I eyed the young woman in his arms. I remembered her from Spirit World because she helped me. It was Nessa.

"Yes, I had help from the priestess." Takeo looked over at me briefly before returning. "A bit of trust and goodness helped chased it away. That's why I want to save the captured priestess. I was turning from my temptation of power. I could not stand her suffering anymore. Trust that I am helping your cause."

"He is honest." Hokushin appeared from behind Kuwabara. I smiled at the sight of him. "While I was chasing Karen and Kenji, I checked the surroundings of the park. I found many lower class demons lying dead. They must have been there as ambush or to capture a stray priestess."

"They were," answered Takeo, "but they only arrived this morning. Cain must have ordered them when he caught your nearing energies. He can speak to us through our minds. I took care of the demons when I saw your team head in the temple. I would have joined, but there were still demons to kill. I could not head further in without a priestess. The obstacles call for some of their aid." He glanced at Hokushin and smiled. "So when I saw Hokushin, I decided to pay a visit, but he only wanted to fight."

Hokushin seemed annoyed, but said, "I thought he was after Karen, but halfway through, I realized his flickering eye colors. He was holding back from me and allowing me to win. It seemed to help him fight for more control."

"It lessened the headache," replied Takeo. "That was what was bothering me. It makes me a little frustrated."

"No matter," this time the short guard spoke. He had a drowsy sounding voice. "You are under guard until we can evaluate you in Spirit World where they will fully interrogate you and investigate your mind."

Giving a bored sigh, Takeo held out his hands and the tall guard waved her hands. Green, glowing cuffs appeared around his wrists. "You might want to take these off if it comes to fighting," warned Takeo.

"Let's just keep them for now," muttered Kurama. "We do have to check your stories even if you are telling the truth. If we have need of you, the cuffs come off."

Still, Takeo bowed his head and allowed the guards to flank his sides. He began humming a sad, prison-like tune. I grinned in amusement. He was very odd.

"Oh, Karen," said Yusuke as he passed me to the follow the team heading into the entrance they came from, "you're still in trouble."

"For what," I asked incredulously. "It wasn't my fault. We didn't know Nikko was the location of the temple."

Yusuke whirled around and crossed him arms. He was giving me his narrowed 'don't give me that attitude' and I waited patiently for him to elaborate. "Kenji told me about you risking your life to save Takeo from the falling debris."

"_What," _hissed Hiei from behind me and I winced.

I shot Kenji a side glare and he fidgeted. "It was instinct. I couldn't let him die. I saw something in his eyes."

"Your life is more important than his, you can't be so careless," he replied snootily.

I was growing agitated. It was the right thing. I did the right thing. When Hiei appeared beside Yusuke, I stared up at both men. Hiei was glaring and had his hands in his pockets. Yusuke still had his arms crossed and was raising an eyebrow. _Oh, so now they get along and decide to intimidate me together. _I wished Keiko was here to help me. She would understand my actions. She always listened to me without regarding me with criticism.

"I think I hear Kurama calling me," said Kenji suddenly. He slapped me on the shoulder and I scowled at his retreating form. _I'll remember this, Kenji, _I thought darkly as he abandoned me.

Crossing my arms, I walked right between the two men and followed the team. "I wasn't going to just let him be crushed to death if I could help it," I said over my shoulder in a moody voice, "what kind of person would I be if I did that? He needed help. I helped him."

"You're sounding just like Keiko," muttered Yusuke. "You hear that," he repeated for emphasis, "just like her! Both of you are just giving me grief these days! Do you want my hair to fall out?"

"Well, at least she would understand," I answered hotly. "Keiko is the only one that listens to me and trusts me to at least walk out the door without having to check on me constantly."

It was a true statement. For the past week, Yusuke would ask where I was going every time I touched the doorknob. I know my soul was important, but sometimes I just wanted to head outside without being drilled with questions. Even in Shirakawa-go, Hiei always kept an eye on me. What did I have to do to prove that I was capable of walking a mile without getting into danger?

"And those _checks_ will keep happening," threatened Hiei, "considering that you somehow manage to walk right into death's door."

"And heading into a park late at night," continued Yusuke, "when you know what's at stake. Talking to a monk over six feet who was carrying a chubby bird – what about those?" I lifted my head and continued to walk ahead of them. "Careless decisions," he finished, "just careless!"


	30. At Wit's End

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Thirty: At Wit's End

* * *

Time passed with every step I made down the endless corridor. Fatigue was starting to settle into my limbs and my bones ached from the cold. Kenji had given me his jacket as he had a sweater underneath, but the cold was a part of my weariness of this temple. Still, I willed one foot in front of the other, because now wasn't the time to become a burden.

Once Nessa awakened, she released the barrier in the room. It was a surprise when the barrier was actually much weaker than everyone imagined. She barely used any energy. I was kind of amazed at the calm way she approached the barrier. She reminded me of an angel with her pale, blond, curly hair and bright, blue eyes.

Hardly anyone talked as we headed down the new corridor. We had been walking for ages down this long hallway where it led down further and further toward our destination. Yusuke and Hiei had left me alone after I refused to acknowledge the lectures about not understanding, not making sound choices, not thinking, and many not stuff. Yusuke was up ahead and talking to Kuwabara. Kenji and I were walking beside one another while Hiei brought up the rear. Everyone else was trailing up ahead.

Although no one talked much, Takeo kept up a steady hum. It was a nice, low melody. The tune was kind of comforting, especially down the long, darkening path. Even though he was a prisoner, he made no complaints. He only continued to hum while being flanked by the guards.

I was tired. I had never been so tired in my life. The past few hours had been chaotic, horrifying, confusing, and erotic. The fight between Hokushin and Takeo was terrifying to witness. Hokushin supposed death was an experience I never wanted to witness. I had to argue with Kenji about rethinking his actions. I saw my friend get hurt. I was startled at Takeo's cheery attitude. Hiei had caused brief fear and intense pleasure through my veins.

When I got home, I was going to crawl into bed and sleep a whole day. This temple was madness. I didn't want to think about Cain. I didn't want to worry about what may happen. I didn't want to know how strong Cain was – that he be so strong he'd hurt someone.

I sighed inwardly to disrupt such scary thoughts. I decided to focus on the interior of the hallway. The corridor never twisted in its path. It was simply straight. The crystal walls didn't cast reflections but they made an odd hue of blue. There were crystal torches that illuminated a soft white from within to light the way, but the hall was dim in the glow. Our shadows danced and I eyed the floor to trace the path of a trickling outline.

Takeo's humming stopped.

Lifting my head, I saw the people ahead slowing to a halt. I paused and tried to see over a few heads for the reason of our break. We had been walking nonstop. It seemed odd to rest now.

Voices were murmuring and I strained my ears to catch any words. As I waited, I noticed the torches dimming. They made the hall dark and light again. I edged away uneasily from the nearest wall.

"The lights," someone muttered.

"Everyone stop," echoed Yusuke's voice from up ahead.

At the demand, every torch dimmed completely. The entire corridor erupted with startled gasps and voices. I narrowed my eyes to force myself to peer through the darkness. It was hopeless. It was too dark. I couldn't see my own hand.

"Quiet, I hear something!" A voice roared over all the confusion.

The voices hissed into the silence and the word 'something' echoed for several seconds. Then, I heard the sound of crystals shifting. The glass-like sound sprinkled nearby. More rocks shifted and the jingles ricocheted in the gloom. The crystals increased in volume and the floor began trembled beneath my sneakers.

Screams and yells pierced the air as the ground quaked harder until there was a rip of thunder. Tiny shards were splashing along the floor and pinging loudly. I threw my hands up to ward off the falling debris. The entire air was a climax of various noises and I stumbled blindly to seek stable shelter against the wall.

The ground was ripping apart. I could feel it shifting beneath me and that was the source of the thunder-like noises. Tripping over a crack, I fell to my knees. Without pausing to hiss at the shards that dug against my kneecaps and palms, I began crawling. I didn't trust my feet in this terrifying catastrophe.

Something hit against my shoulder and I thought it was falling debris until the something fluttered down my arm – it was a hand. Knowing the touch, I reached up blindly and grabbed a hold of his upper arm to haul myself up. His hand gripped the back of my jeans and dragged me up against him. I held on while he carried me blindly.

A shard of debris sliced down my arm and I gave a choked whimper. Abruptly I was pulled down onto the ground until I was lying on the shaking floor. Hiei covered me with his entire body and I grimaced at his weight. Pressing my face into his shoulder, I waited for this dismay to pass. The crashing glass lasted forever…

Then, it stopped.

Panting heavily, I turned my face from Hiei's shoulder and eyed the flicker of light from the torches. I saw Kenji across the far wall and huddling beneath a large crystal that the shorter guard was holding up with surprising strength. Valon and Genkai were sitting on either side of Kenji with curious gazes.

Slowly, Hiei leaned up and gripped my upper arms. I grimaced at the contact against my right arm. It burned painfully as if it was rubbed raw against concrete.

"Are you hurt?"

"I got hit, but I think it's just bruised," I answered honestly.

He released my arms, "where?"

Reaching over, I pulled down the right side of the jacket. He pushed away my hands and inched the sleeve down. It must have only been bruised because my shirtsleeve was intact. However, he tore a slit in the sleeve with his hands and I saw the softball size bruise. It was already turning deep purple and knotting beneath my skin.

Reaching up, I pushed lightly at his hands to pull the jacket back up. "See, just a bruise."

"… Can you move your arm?" he asked softly while stopping my movements.

I glanced up at his face. He was staring at my arm with odd expression, as if he were remembering something. He seemed guilty. Shrugging it off, I turned back to my arm. I was used to bruises. They always felt nasty. Raising my arm, I forced myself not to grimace at the stiffness. Yeah, this one was going to be extremely sore tomorrow. I moved it easily to make the injury seem small, even if my muscles burned beneath the knot.

"Of course I can," I replied calmly.

Hiei didn't say anything. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but refrained from asking such a question. He pulled the jacket back up to cover my shoulder. Before we stood, he cupped my cheek and turned my head. His crimson eyes were piercing me with a foreign emotion.

"I'm okay," I said to ward off the sudden silence between us. I wanted to kiss him to rid the look in his eyes, but he never displayed those affections in front of the others. I settled for a gentle smile. "I'm always okay."

Then, his jaw tensed and he dropped his hand. He was Hiei once again. Standing, I dusted off my jeans with my stinging palms. There was a thin cut or two, but nothing major. I followed quietly after Hiei to regard our group.

Out of everyone, Kuwabara, the tall, SWAT member, and Lena were the only injured victims. Kuwabara had a dislocated shoulder, which was set in place by Genkai. I grimaced at the slight 'pop' and grunt he made when she reset the joint. Lena had a bleeding head wound, but she seemed capable of healing herself like Takeo. The tall, SWAT member was healed by Takeo's cuffed hands. The member's ripped pant leg revealed a feminine calf, where a crystal was imbedded into the muscle. Takeo was healing the wound with a gentle smile and talking to the guard in a low murmur. The guard's leg was trembling slightly. It looked painful.

"Was that an earthquake?" Valon asked as she approached Lena.

Facing forward to stare down the hall, Lena shook her head. "It's this temple."

"I think something happened up ahead." Takeo had finished healing the guard. "The shaking vibrated from up there – the end must be nearing."

Kenji joined the conversation, "this temple is kind of unstable." His eyes were glinting behind his glasses and I knew he was remembering the floors that collapsed beneath us. "How is it that this temple has survived all this time?"

"The layers of rocks beneath this frozen white sand," agreed Kurama, seriously, "should have been enough to reinforce the place."

Lena's face twisted into a look of fear. The unique colored eyes were wide and dancing with fear. She appeared pale beneath the blue hue of the hall. "Takeo," she asked firmly, despite her stricken expression. He looked up from the guard's leg. "Did Cain ever reveal his plans about the priestess?" She swallowed. "Did she have any powers?"

"He only mentioned that the priestess was needed to enter the prayer room." I heard the hiss of swears and a loud gasp from Nessa. Takeo ignored them. "Palei was young," murmured Takeo. He glanced back down at the guard's leg to finish healing the wound. "She was ten and had such a gentle heart," his eyes flickered over to me, but only for a moment. "She seemed bright, like she understood things, and he spent hours in her head. As for powers, I do not know. If she had any, she never showed me, but I had little time to see her in her cell."

"Lena, d-do you think," Nessa stammered, "she was like me, but stronger? That she may have been able to see a great deal further into the past of our ancestors," she paled near the end of her sentence.

"No," hissed Kenji and I glanced over at him as he pushed through the group, "that information was before even your time, Lena – before Cain's time! I've read every piece! I spent months tracking that information. He can't have known," he shook his head, "the ritual."

"Priestesses can learn of the past," informed Valon. She pointed at Nessa, "but so far, only Nessa has seen a bit through meditation. She's the only that can see any glimpse of the past."

"But I only see images," whispered Nessa.

"She may have unknowingly chosen Cain as her highest," replied Lena. "She's untrained and young. She wouldn't have known to control herself… I have never known one of evil to enter the prayer room. If he is in there, if she did see into the past, then Cain may know of what we are trying to do to rid him."

"You think he's corrupting this temple?" asked Kurama. "Or using her to do such a thing?"

"Wait a minute," demanded Yusuke. "Are you telling me that he could be destroying that room before they can get that energy?" He seemed furious. "Takeo said he's getting stronger every day," he pointed down the hall, "just how strong was he, Lena?"

"He's very strong," asked Takeo. He patted the guard's calf and adjusted his hands within the cuffs.

"Tell me, Takeo, how strong is he?" Lena asked hurriedly.

"Stronger than me, he uses clones," he looked at Yusuke, "remember my clones? He can make twice the amount."

"When he was at full strength," began Lena, "he could make a good fifty, each one as strong as the original. He was an army on his own. He can handle any weapon with expertise. He's fast, cunning, and malicious."

"And this came from all the souls he collected?" Kuwabara rubbed his face.

The silence was heavy as Lena stared down the hall. My skin was prickling from the entire conversation and fear, unlike any I have ever known, made me want to run far away. It felt like this cause, our plan, was useless – like he had already won.

"Didn't you hear the half-breed," snapped a hoarse voice. I glanced up at Genkai. She had her arms crossed. "He said he could make six clones, which by now, maybe more, but that just means he isn't at full power. We have time. If he truly knew the ritual, our plan, that room would be destroyed by now. It just means the priestess didn't reveal enough for him to know or is fighting Cain."

"Cain may just be experimenting," said Kurama, "by pouring his energy into the core. We know priestesses can do this, but Lena said no one as evil as he has been in the room. He must be exploring this room with his power."

"And it's corrupting the temple," finished Nessa.

"But the priestess?" asked the female guard. "Cain can claim her soul. He could boost his power before we fight him. Our plans are failing."

"Plans backfire," Genkai hurried to say before another panic could set in, "hell, nothing ever goes according to plan. You just have to devise a new one and meet each challenge head on." She pinned the group with a flinty glare, "all the worlds have seen plenty of ends, but they have managed to stay alive for this long because of the people willing to fight for it."

"Genkai is right," Kuwabara clenched his hands, "we can't give up now."

"Yes," Lena set off down the hall, "we stick to the plan. Whatever comes, we shift accordingly, but let's prepare ourselves for what is to come."

"Heh," shrugged Yusuke, "it's just like old times." He grinned cockily. "Just fighting for our lives again by kicking asses," he cracked his knuckles for emphasis. "Well, let's kick hard, then."

With his statement, we continued forward.

* * *

Moving steadily, she crouched behind a large pillar. Two demons jogged ahead of her and conversed in hushed tones. For hours, she had followed these two, low-class demons and they had yet to detect her presence. She wasn't complaining. The longer she went unnoticed, the closer she would be to fulfilling her new mission.

A majority of the day, she hid outside the temple to stand guard. It was believed that enemies may try lurking about to attack the team that had gone inside the temple. She was to eliminate any demons should she find any. They were right. There were many low class demons around the forest, but they were no match for her… and the half-breed helping her from the shadows.

She didn't know if he sensed her from the trees. She knew the half-breed was a male by the way he moved and the muscles bulging from beneath his cloak. Most of the morning, she would attack secretly from various positions and shadow the half-breed when he attacked. Together, unknowingly or not, they rid the demons being allowed through the border.

She knew someone was casting another barrier over the previous barrier Spirit World placed around the temple. Only the caster could allow people to enter, or a priestess's energy deactivated the barrier to allow entry, and capture. The caster was a demon, one that was invisible to her eyes and somewhere outside the barrier. This unknown demon's barrier was so powerful that all communications failed. She could not contact Spirit World to check in or alert them. She and the team were alone.

But she had to trust everything would go according to plan.

It was.

Until she saw the two young people sprinting in the distance and she had to change her plans. Things had changed horribly, especially since she knew one of them. She saw the priestess and paled.

She wondered what the hell they were doing so far in Nikko, but the questions were to remain unanswered. She was supposed to stay hidden. The team didn't even know of her presence. She was the help from the shadows.

So, she improvised and followed the young adults. When she saw the demon following them, she almost fired, but she recognized him. She recognized the bird. Still, she trickled in the shadows and watched as they headed into the temple. It made sense. The monk was wary of the situation and knew the dangers now that he had to protect a priestess. The weather was going to turn soon, too. They needed shelter.

She was ready to relax and stay guard outside, but the half-breed appeared. Her fingers had twitched on the trigger. Making a decision, she had been ready to fire, but he whirled without warning. She barely dodged out of the way, as he launched a small blast against her tree. She went unconscious.

When she awoke, she was dusted in a fine layer of snow. Things were fuzzy until she remembered her mission and the priestess. That's when she heard the blast. A mile from the temple and she could hear the thundering roar. She panicked.

Running, she had entered the temple with her guns drawn. It was chaos. The entire room was in shambles and there was a gaping hole in the floor. She felt around with her energy, but the demon energies in the room seemed slightly old – maybe an hour. She figured the monk must have engaged the half-breed in battle.

Quickly, her mind spun with worry for the priestess. What had happened to her? What had happened to the young man? Hardening her gaze, she had inched her way around the room and headed toward the door. The priestess may be gone, but she knew she was alive. She felt it in her gut. She had to be alive.

She navigated the corridors and rooms. Every obstacle seemed broken (no need for a priestess now). It was as if the entire temple had come to a standstill. It was a good thing, too, because it made travel easier in this dreary place. It was also a bad thing, because the demons from outside were now entering the temple from behind her to close in on the team. The master enemy had summoned them. She had heard it from the pathetic creatures.

For now, she was using these two demons. She would follow them and when it was time, she would splatter their brains across the walls.

"I'm coming," she whispered once she moved again. "Please be okay."

* * *

"Dang, it's a mess," Valon inched around a few crystals.

It was a mess. The new room was in ruins. It resembled the battle between Hokushin and Takeo. Chunks of the ceiling were missing and resting on the floor. The room wasn't as grand as the room earlier, but it was a good size. Crystals sparkled on the floor like glittering stars. It was dim and blue within the room. Despite the damage, the floor held no cracks, which was odd considering the destroyed ceiling. There was also much more debris than the room seemed capable of causing – I wonder where the extra crystals came from?

I walked carefully across the debris. I felt like I was walking over a frozen ocean where pieces of iceberg were sticking up from the ice. It was too beautiful in this dark grave.

"Guys," Kuwabara was looking around with a frown, "there's no other door… just the one behind us."

Crystals screamed and I turned to the noise. The door had sealed off.

"You just had to say something," the short guard grumbled, "did you?"

Kuwabara crossed his arms. "How was I supposed to know that would happen?"

"Apparently, this obstacle is not as ruined as we might have believed and finding the entrance must be the task." Kurama was eyeing the walls.

"Right," Lena headed over to a wall, "let's check everywhere. Just be careful. Check in groups."

While the team dispersed to check the room, I glanced up at Hiei. Since the event in the corridor, he had been strangely quiet. His face was devoid of emotion. Even though he had remained by my side, he appeared far away. I didn't understand his behavior. Was he mad at me for something?

Sighing, I decided to leave him to his silence. I turned to help the team search. Without a word, he followed me. People were searching crystals rocks, tapping the walls, and kicking at the corners. I shifted through a few crystals on the floor, doing my own meager part.

"I don't see anything," complained Yusuke after ages of wandering the entire room. He was kicking through some crystals behind me.

The search was not going well and we had searched for what felt like an hour. I was turning drowsily through several shards. Hiei was investigating a wall with Kurama, but half turned to keep an eye on me.

"Do you need a hair tie," asked a soft, slightly pitched voice.

I turned to the small woman, Nessa. She was holding a pink hair tie. She must have noticed the way I kept brushing my hair back while trying to peer at the crystals. Nodding, I smiled. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you're okay," Nessa replied while searching through the crystals with me.

I was ready to make a comment when I noticed her shaking hands. Instinctively, I covered her hand with my own. She was scared, like me, but unlike me, she had responsibilities. I wished I was more helpful to this woman that had helped me when my head was invaded by _him_. Lifting her eyes, Nessa nodded slightly in an unspoken gratitude.

"Ouch," howled Valon as she slipped near our pile of useless shards.

She crashed down behind me on her rear end. Lifting her hand, she scowled at a small cut. I grinned wryly. Usually, I was the one tripping. It was nice to know I wasn't the only clumsy priestess.

"What is this," Nessa reached for the crystal next to Valon's hand. She squinted.

Valon grumbled, "I think I cut my hand on that."

We all gasped when the shard began erupting in blue light. Abruptly, Nessa dropped the shard and it crashed onto the floor. Valon went to reach for it, but her hand met an invisible barrier.

"Stand back," Lena called from the other side of the barrier.

At that order, Valon grabbed my jacket and yanked me onto my feet. I shuffled away and crashed against a chest. I didn't bother turning. I was too in awe at the sight.

Every shard flew against the invisible wall and began attaching to the blank surface. It was forming a new wall and separating us. It happened in seconds and my eyes caught Kenji's expression. He vanished from view.

Now, my group consisted of Valon, Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei.

* * *

Sighing, I sat on a rock beside Valon.

For the past half hour, Yusuke and Hiei had taken it in turns to punch their way through the wall. Even with their glowing fists, the wall remained intact. Kurama was trying to find a plant whose roots could dig beneath the wall and grab the crystal Valon had touched. He believed that specific shard was what started everything.

So far, all their efforts were futile.

Deciding to abandon his attempts at breaking through to the other side, Kurama began researching beneath every crystal and behind every pillar. Hiei was folding his arms against his chest. Yusuke began cursing. He kicked angrily at the wall.

Valon and I were told to sit tight and not move, because Kurama didn't want us to get separate. He didn't want us activating another shard. I think he just didn't want us being clumsy and bleeding on any of the shards. Valon wasn't happy about having to sit. She was fuming beside me, but I think, deep down, it was how she dealt with the frustration and fear of the situation. Valon was a strong woman.

"There's something behind here," announced Kurama.

Valon perked up, but didn't move. Rushing over, Yusuke peered at the car-sized crystal against the wall where Kurama was peeking behind with a frown. Giving a slight push, Yusuke moved the crystal with little effort.

"C'mon," asked Valon.

Shrugging, I followed the young woman.

"It's a hole." Kurama observed once we reached the men. "It might lead to the way out."

Yusuke leaned down and pushed his head through the hole. However, he had trouble getting both his head and shoulder inside the cavity. He twisted, but his other shoulder barely inched forward. "Damn, who the hell is going to fit in this – can't even get both shoulders inside." Not to be dismayed, Yusuke aimed a solid kick at the wall. Surprisingly, nothing happened. The wall didn't even tremble. "Funny, this thing is solid. I doubt an energy blast would pierce it without shaking up this entire room. Damn, it'd be too dangerous."

Kurama turned and stared over at us. Seeing his expression, Valon blushed. His emerald eyes were glancing over us, from top to bottom. I turned back to regard the hole, unfazed by him. He was thinking, as Kenji did with his chess face. However, Valon seemed a bit uncomfortable by his eyes.

"Valon," Kurama crooked a finger at her, "c'mon here for a moment."

"I don't think I'm gonna fit in that," whispered Valon in mortification. "My boobs and hips…"

"Yes, you will," I assured her with a smile.

Valon was great deal taller than I was, but the bronzed skin woman was slender enough to fit. She did have a bigger chest and much rounder hips than the men (and me. How sad). Yet, the men had wider frames and shoulders. But what did I know? Anatomy was not my strong point.

When Valon was close enough, Kurama positioned her next to the hole. He gave a nod. "Are you comfortable going inside?"

Peeking into the cavity, Valon said stiffly. "Is there a light? It's dark down there."

"What if she sets something off down there?" asked Yusuke while he patted his back jean pocket. "Or there's something that might drain her energy?"

"I'm good on energy." Valon stated. She didn't appear to like being talked about while she was standing in front of them. I liked her.

Kurama's hand was glowing and a long vine appeared, "yes, I was thinking about that and we really should use a precaution in conserving her energy. She's going to be needed. Karen would be an ideal choice in case of anything accidently activating her energy. I'd really like to use her first."

"I can do it –"

"No," answered Hiei without even looking at me.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"However," continued Kurama as he lengthen the vine calmly, "Karen has no powers."

Valon crossed her arms and nodded. "Yeah," she turned to me and gave an apologetic smile, before regarding the hole again, "it might be dangerous down there." Then, stiffly, once again, "just give me a light."

"I lost my cell during that fire obstacle," informed Yusuke.

Kurama reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. "It's dead."

"Hn."

"It's really dark down there," said Valon. I heard the slight tremble at the end of her sentence, but it might be the cold of the temple.

Remembering my cell, I patted my back pocket. I smiled at the familiar budge. The cell was cracked on the outside and I worriedly turned it over. The front screen was cracked and pressing the button to light the screen, a button pinged to the floor. The screen flickered to life and the background picture of my family stared up at me.

"The battery is dying," I said, "but it might be good enough." I fiddle with the settings and activate the backlight to full time.

Stepping forward, I handed the phone to Valon. When our fingers touched, I noticed the slight tremble to her fingers. I frowned curiously at her, but her dark eyes were hardened. I refrained from acknowledging the act.

"Alright," stated Valon. She peered down at my phone and smiled a bit.

"Just check and see what's down there, first, before moving," informed Kurama softly. "Hang onto this and we'll lower you down." She took the end of the vine. "I'm not sure how far it is."

Yusuke kicked a shard inside. It seemed to take several seconds to hit the ground. Kurama took the vine out of Valon's hand. He seemed to be thinking again. He glanced one last time at Valon's hips before holding the vine horizontally.

"I think we need to tie this around you," he informed her with a polite smile, "may I?"

Swallowing, Valon lifted her arms out a bit. Quickly, Kurama wrapped the vine around her waist and he held his hand over the end to bind it with the rest of the hanging vine. It melded together with a soft, green glow.

Valon crouched and stuck her legs in first. She eased down a little and stopped.

We waited.

"Well," Yusuke asked as he kneeled down next to her upper body. She had her arms braced, but she didn't lower herself down. He was holding onto the vine with Kurama for extra support. I stood over Yusuke's shoulder to observe the situation.

"… I'm stuck."

Kurama sighed wearily, but Yusuke leaned forward and glanced at the bit of Valon's hips showing from the hole. The vine seemed to add extra and caused her to get stuck.

Yusuke snorted. "You just got a bit of weight –"

"Are you calling me fat again?" asked Valon stonily with a glare.

"I was talking about the vine," Yusuke said with a roll of his eyes. Then, a grin slid on his face, "well, you did almost smash me to death."

"It was the force of the fall!"

"Nothing wrong with a bit of fluff – that's what I tell my woman back home. You just got a little in the back –"

Before he could finish, I swatted at his shoulder.

Rubbing at his shoulder, Yusuke shot me a look, "what did you do that for?"

"Because you're picking on me!" yelled Valon.

I nodded firmly, "yeah, so stop or I'm telling you-know-who about being mean again… and your curse words."

Yusuke rolled his eyes, "soon she'll be slapping cheeks." He turned back to Valon. "Okay, girl, the plant is in the way."

"Here," Kurama kneeled down and reached toward her exposed upper hips, "I'll untie it."

Yusuke grabbed Valon's wrists and held her in place while Kurama touched the side of her hip. The vine glowed again and released.

"Hold on to this," Kurama wrapped it once around her wrist and placed the rest within her palm.

She gave a jerky nod and tightened her grip. Valon inhaled deeply and wriggled down into the hole. She slid inside with a grimace. "Ah," she hissed under her breath, "a little tight in here."

"Hey, tell us when you touch ground," instructed Yusuke as he let the vine slip slowly through his hands. Kurama was unraveling the rest from his hands.

Now, it was the waiting game again for me. I stepped away from the two men and went to stand by Hiei a few feet away.

As I was about to collapse on the ground beside Hiei's boots, the room began shaking. Hearing the shifting crystals, I felt like crying. Screaming glass was becoming an overwhelming omen. There was a startled yell and I whirled around toward the noise. Yusuke and Kurama dodged out of the way, as a crystal shattered between them.

The shaking didn't last long and hardly anything fell from the ceiling. I remained huddled next to Hiei's legs and watched for falling shards. However, something must have happened because Kurama and Yusuke were peering down the hole.

"The vine broke," hissed Yusuke.

"Valon, are you okay?" called Kurama into the hole. He fiddled with his vine to re-fix the length.

I approached closer and heard Valon's faded voice, "I-I'm okay."

"I'm lowering the vine again," instructed Kurama.

"The phone broke."

Kurama was frowning, "just make your way carefully to it."

"I can't…" Valon said shakily.

Kurama sat on his heels and regarded the hole curiously. "Valon, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer.

Poking his head inside, Yusuke yelled, "Valon, where the hell did you go?" He turned to Kurama, "She must have rolled out of sight. It's dark down there."

Kurama bowed his head, thinking. Sweeping a hand through his hair, he stood. "I think she has a phobia of the dark. I could smell her fear before she went inside, but I thought she was just afraid of our situation."

"Dammit," cursed Yusuke. "Why didn't she tell us?"

Kurama turned and glanced over my shoulder. "We need to get out of this room and fast. This room's not stable."

"I knew this was going to happen," Hiei growled low under his breath from behind me. Grabbing my hand, he squeezed lightly, but enough to make me glance up at him as he led me over to the others, "you're going inside, but you better be damn careful. Anything dangerous, you tell us." His voice lowered in a treat, as he stopped to drive in his next message, "and do not repeat your little heroic act like you did with that half-breed."

I nodded, but inside, I couldn't make that last promise.

"Hey, you're not scared of the dark, too, are you," asked Yusuke as I reached them.

"No," I answered honestly, when Hiei released my hand. Even so, I stared at the hole uneasily. It seemed ominous.

"Your arms," Hiei said from beside me.

"Huh," I turned back, but lifted my arms slightly when Kurama leaned forward to wrap the vine around my waist. I thought about all the snacks that I had eaten this week. I thought about the gummies I packed away hours ago. "I'm going to get stuck," I mumbled, almost in a singsong sort of way.

"You're smaller, you little fool," scoffed Hiei.

Kurama pulled on the vine, "which was why I also wanted to use in the first place."

"How come you didn't ask my permission," I asked jokily in reference to Kurama tying the vine. I was a little nervous at going down the hole.

Kurama smiled, "because I'm your uncle."

I nearly laughed at the inside joke, but covered it with a sly grin, as I went to point out Valon's blushes earlier. "She –"

Without looking at me, he said in hurtful tone, "is my only ally going to abandon me now, after all the tutoring I gave you?"

Kurama was asking because I was the only one to not try and set him up on a date. I always thought it was funny how he would stand there and endure everyone's 'finding the perfect one' lectures. I would have joined in, but that would be mean. I didn't want to be annoying. He had been nice to me since the very beginning.

I don't know why everyone was pushing him. Maybe they thought he was lonely. However, Kurama seemed to do well enough, if left alone. There was one time he had picked me up from school (Hiei had been ignoring me, then) and he saw my English teacher. She was single, twenty-eight, and drop-dead-gorgeous. Ms. Wasute was also very educated. Very discreetly, Kurama had asked about her while watching her walk. Feigning innocence, I answered him, and then asked if he wanted to meet her because I needed to ask about my paper. He agreed, even though he seemed to catch on to my plan of introductions. I didn't push. I just pretended to ask about the assignment. She took one look at him and fell for 'Uncle Kurama'. Too bad, it didn't work out. She was extremely nice… and she gave me a perfect score on that paper!

Smiling, I murmured, "of course not."

Shaking his head, he handed me the length of the vine, "keep a hand on this, in case." He melded the vine together. I tugged on the vine experimentally. It was good and snug. When I looked up, Kurama was holding up a sunflower-like seed, "this is for Valon." He dropped the seed in my hand and I slipped it in my pocket. "It'll help calm her, but I only have one so don't lose it."

I was staring at the hole as Hiei guided me over with his warm hand on the back of my neck. When I reached the hole, I sat down and stuck my legs inside. Already, I could feel the cold air. It was freezing down below.

"Karen, are you sure you're not scared of the dark," asked Kurama in a lone tone – the kind of tone that demanded an honest answer.

I shook my head, "no, I'm not –"

"Don't be lying," warned Yusuke, "we don't need both of you freezing up in there."

"Karen," murmured Hiei lowly.

I said stubbornly, "I'm not scared of the dark!" I really wasn't scared. I was just apprehensive for some unknown reason.

"Then why are you shaking," challenged Hiei.

"Because it's cold," I answered firmly. Twisting, I scooted down a bit. I could hardly bend my knee to brace myself. It was tight, but I had room to shuffle around and use my legs, instead of depending, on being lowered to the ground. I held the vine with two hands. Looking back up at Hiei, I scowled, "go ahead and lower me."

"Be careful," said Yusuke with a stiff grin over Hiei's shoulder.

I was lowered down until I could no longer see the side hole when I heard the loud hiss of a creature that made my skin crawl. "Wait! There's a snake!" I yelled in a panic. "I can hear it!" Being far enough down, I could brace my feet along the tunneled walls. I did so to stop them lowering me.

"We're right here!" Yusuke poked his head through and stared down at me. "We can't hear anything."

"I don't smell a snake," informed Kurama's voice.

Something slithered down my arm and I stiffened in fear. I glanced down with little movement and saw the huge, olive green body of those legless creatures. "It's on my shoulder." I could feel my hands turning to ice. "It's on my shoulder!"

This time, Hiei's voice answered. "There's nothing there!"

I glanced up at him, but the snake reared its head. I heard more hissing down below. "They're everywhere!"

"No, I can't hear them!" Valon yelled from below, but in frightened voice.

"This must be a priestess task," Kurama appeared. "It's feeding off your fears. I should have realized such a thing when I saw the size of the hole, because only a woman would have been able to fit inside."

I didn't care. I felt another snake twisting up my leg. I kicked against the chasm wall and twisted violently, knocking along the tight tunnel walls. The snake on my shoulder zipped at my face. I screamed at the feel of its breath.

"Karen, I know they feel real," hurried Kurama, "but it's not."

"No, I can feel them. I can smell them!"

"Don't leave me down here," screamed Valon, as if realizing I was going to be hauled up. "Please!"

Yusuke growled in frustration. "Damn this stupid temple! There's probably something down there to get us out. Where's Lena when you need her!"

I felt one flicking its tongue against my ear. "… They're going to bite me," I whispered in dread.

"I only have one calming seed," I heard Kurama muttered from above me. He was speaking to the others and I kept my eyes trained on the light from the side hole. "Obviously, one is going to have to calm the other in this task."

"Let Karen eat it," insisted Yusuke. "She's right there."

"Valon may need it more," argued Kurama, "she's physically stronger."

Yusuke kicked at something, "yeah, that's right, but what if Karen freezes up before she reaches Valon? We need to get out of this room before it starts shaking and collapses on our asses."

Hearing that, I closed my eyes. My body felt weighed down with snakes. I could feel ten winding around my shaking limps. They smelled musky, like slime and earth. If they weren't real, why could I feel them?

"_Look at me_."

At the angry command, I opened my eyes to meet hardened, crimson eyes. They were regarding me intensely, like the first time we met. Heat seeped into my cold, terror filled veins, but I was still stiff with the fear of these monsters.

"Start moving."

I stared fearfully up at him. A snake was winding up the vine toward his face. I had never been so frightened in my life. The hisses were loud. The smell was nearly gagging me. The weight was staggering against my aching muscles. I wanted him to pull me out from this cavern of fiends. I wanted him to take me away as he did long ago.

"Karen," his eyes darkened. "Do as I say."

I felt my eyes watered, but refused to let them fall before his eyes. Why couldn't he just tell me it was going to be okay? Why was he always ordering me around? I swallowed. It was because he didn't tolerate fear. In the beginning, he would have laughed coldly and called me pathetic. If I show fear, I show weakness. He always said I was a weak fool, weak idiot, weak woman, and weak thing.

"You don't want to disappoint me now," he murmured in soothing, but cold tone, "do you?"

There seemed to be hidden words after that sentence. If I disappointed him, he would leave me. I feared that outcome more than any horrid creature. My heart would shatter and each piece would slice within me. I hurried to head the demand before this task could torture my mind with his absence. I willed myself to fear the snakes.

It was as if the task was trying to frighten me more with the snakes, as it accepted my silent proposal to refrain from using Hiei as my greatest fear. In its fury, the snakes increased. They were biting now. It was brief, like small pinches. It was meant to frighten and dissuade me from moving ahead in this mission. I ignored the little nips by biting my tongue to keep from jerking – to keep from screaming.

Once I touched the ground, I forced my eyesight to adjust by squinting harshly. It was dark inside the hollow, but not dark enough to blind me. The ground was a dark, stony gray. It was made of the same interior residing in the crystals.

Trembling, I eased forward. The serpents were hugging me against their cold, slimy bodies. I carried them with me. I pushed blindly forward, aware of the thousands of bodies pressing against my shoes.

"V- Valon, where are you?"

"… Karen?"

Hearing her voice further up and to the right, I made my way over slowly. I could see a dark figure up ahead. She was near the wall of the little hall. When I approached, she was plastered along the wall. I heard her teeth chattering violently. There was the sound of scraping nails. She appeared to be digging into the surface beneath her shaking hands.

I pushed at the snake against my hip. It spat at me. I thought I felt the serpent's spittle sizzling at my wrist and burning a hole – but there was nothing there. It's just in my head.

Digging the seed from my pocket, I held it toward her with stiff fingers. "You have to take this," I said stiffly. I think I was going into shock. My words were too calm. My body was too cold.

She inhaled shakily, but nodded. Quickly, she popped the seed into her mouth and swallowed it whole. I waited for the seed to take effect. It didn't take long.

Peeling herself from the wall, Valon pointed ahead. She was still shaking, but she appeared calm enough to move. "There's a draft that way."

I allowed her to hold my hand. She interlaced our fingers together and the warmth of her palm eased a little courage into me. Unsteadily, I followed her down the hall. She didn't know that there was an anaconda-sized snake winding up her legs and toward her chest. She didn't know, but I could see the snake's bulging, sleek muscles.

We made our way carefully until we came to the end. My eyesight was adjusted enough to make out her turquoise jacket, the passing boulders, thousands of snakes, and up ahead, a structure against an opened entrance. She reached a hand to the object. It was some sort of thick, stone lever.

"A lever," she whispered. "I think it's the way out."

I stepped on the snake near my foot. "W-what about t-the opening," I pointed next to the entryway next to the lever.

"I'm not sure, but I feel like this will activate something up there," she glanced over her shoulder where the men were located.

"I'll tell them." I said, knowing that she wouldn't want to walk alone, and it wouldn't do for us to both go relaying the news.

She glanced at me with a bit of fear, but released my hand. The seed must only numb the fear, but not chase it away completely. Why couldn't I have feared the dark, too? Why did it have to be snakes?

"We found a lever," I yelled halfway down the hall. I didn't trust myself to walk too far in this dark abyss alone. "… Valon believes it will activate something up there."

"It might create an opening." Kurama answered, "Karen, are you okay?"

I decided to ignore the question. Hell no, I wasn't okay! "There's also an opened entrance down here – it's next to the lever. Should we look –"

"Don't do that." Kurama replied quickly.

"Hell no," swore Yusuke.

"No." Hiei's voice echoed.

"Just the lever, Karen," shouted Kurama. "Be prepared should anything happen. Stay close to Valon."

I gripped the vine near waist and returned to Valon. I was surprised the plant could stretch this far. She was waiting with her arms crossed.

"Kurama said pull the lever," I relayed, "just be careful."

She gripped the lever and tugged. It didn't budge. "It's stuck." Giving an indignant huff, she applied glowing hands to the device. She pulled down with a grunt of effort. It slid down with a loud snap.

There were startled yells behind us and the vine around my waist disappeared. Valon tried to hurry back the way we came, but a gush of wind soared toward us. I threw my arms up with a scream to cover the blast of icy air to my face. Valon's body collided against mine and we went flying into the hollowed entrance.

It wasn't a path. It wasn't a hall. It was a slide.

We were tumbling along a slipper surface at an insane speed. I caught glimpses of blue, crystal torches that whipped past like stretches of lightning. The snakes were twisting around and around, over my eyes, across my neck, and atop my mouth. I heard her screams ahead of me. I was tumbling to and fro against one side of the slide to the other. The snake over my mouth was pressing against my nose. I couldn't breathe! I'm going to smother!

They disappeared as I flew from the slide and slid across the cool, crystal floor. I collided against Valon's body with a grunt. She was breathing heavily. I was reeling from the relief of no more slimy serpents.

"Valon, Karen!"

I pushed myself up weakly. Shaking my head, I forced the trickling fear of the task away from my mind. Valon's arms wrapped around my waist and she helped me up.

"Are you okay?" She asked gently.

"… yes, I'm fine." I forced a shaky smile for her benefit.

"Are you two hurt?" We turned and watched the men running to us down the new corridor we were standing in beside the exit of the slide. Kurama stopped a few feet away.

Valon shook her head and crossed her arms to resume a cocky stance. However, she was pale. "We're fine. What happened to you guys?"

"The lever triggered the floor and we fell down several floors," informed Kurama. "I think it did the same to the others on their side. They must be in the corridor beside this one."

"Hey, you alright," asked Yusuke while Valon related to Kurama about the slide.

I walked calmly after them. I stared at the ground while Yusuke kept an easy pace beside me. I refused to meet his eyes. I refused to search for Hiei's eyes, even though I felt his gaze burning the back of my head. I was doing my best to keep from breaking.

"I'm fine."

Yusuke placed a hand on my head and ruffled my hair. He didn't ask any more questions. He simply stayed beside me. I was grateful for him.

* * *

She shouldn't be here. Hiei had worked out everything to keep her from being involved with these temples, and yet, she was here beside him. Karen had barely been in a few hours and already she was bruising and receiving cuts. Damn it, he was supposed to be taking care of her – when they get out of this, she was never stepping inside one of these things again.

Hiei was growing uneasy, which was a first, and all because of his mate. He had to be twice as alert, twice as observant, and watch her twice as closely.

But he was failing. The darkness of that corridor had been a challenge to navigate. He couldn't even see through it and he had a jagan (not to mention his demon eyes). It wasn't a great feeling to be doused in darkness so abruptly. When the shaking started, he had reached for Karen, but she wasn't there. She must have begun moving in her panic to find safety. Little fool should have stayed put.

Blind, he had to track her by her scent. She wasn't far and he hurried to get her before she could be crushed by any debris. Hauling her up with one arm, he recalled the nearest wall and blurred over there to keep his senses. As he had been moving, he felt something hit his arm, not enough to break his skin, but enough to make him acknowledge the contact.

Shielding her was easy enough. Karen was small enough to cover, even if he had to smother her with his weight from his rash need to protect her vitals. His larger body, which had taken time to get used to once it happened, was useful against the chaos.

When it was done, he checked her for injuries. He didn't think she was hit, but the shard that scraped down his arm had been closed to her arm. He wasn't hurt. Not even bruised by the debris that rained down on him, but she wasn't built like him. The shards shattered from his body. The shards could pierce her body. It was a huge difference.

She answered him honestly and calmly went to inspect her shoulder. Needing to know the damage, he checked himself. She'd probably try to hide it from him. It was bruised, just like she said, and no skin was broken. But the bruise, the size of it, reminded him of the last time he had hurt her – only, his bruise had been bigger.

Hiei tried to forget about the times he hurt her, but seeing a bruise there, after all this time, opened his eyes to what he had done to this woman. She wasn't extremely small, but compared to him she was much smaller. He towered over her by nearly a foot. His strength was feared by many demons. And yet, he had hurt this woman that had no strength at all. She had been completely vulnerable to him. She never cried. She never complained. She never asked for his forgiveness. She just kept smiling at him. She kept allowing his touches after what he had done to her – what the hell is wrong with her?

She was in pain. He could see how stiffly she was holding her arm, but to prove she wasn't hurting, she forced it to move easily. She wouldn't be able to move that arm tomorrow, not without flinching. The same had happened from his touch. She had slept uncomfortably on her left side because of her aching right arm. He had had to cool the swelling to help ease her into sleep while she had that fever, because she had been moaning from the aches.

He didn't like seeing her in pain, even if she wasn't showing it. He didn't like that she was receiving these injuries in a temple she should never have been a part of in the first place. He didn't want her to get hurt ever again – it hurt him. He was _never_ going to hurt her like that again.

But maybe this was good, not the pain, but to be a reminder that these temples were too extreme for her. He was ready to leave. _To hell with the team,_ he had thought angrily. Only, he knew she was going to try and fight his decision he had made in Spirit World. She needed to be frightened of this place. He could tell she was already at a breaking point. He could see it in every shiver of her body.

This was for his mate's own good. The moment she cried, he was taking her back to Hakone. Her tears would be the final sign of her fear, because she'd never cry otherwise – that is until the door in the next room sealed off. He didn't think it was going to open back for a while.

It was all getting complicated. It was even more complicated when the team was separated and they were trying to find the exit. Then, Kurama found that hole. Seeing the size, he almost groaned. Karen was smaller than that other woman and the perfect fit to navigate the cavity. Suddenly, he wished she was bigger, so that she could not enter (and that he was short again). Only, the other woman managed to squeeze through and he nearly sighed in relief. But he didn't. He didn't do such things.

Of course, leave it to chance that something would happen. Curse that other woman for being a damn coward. It was only the dark. He could already see the concern in his mate's eyes. He could see the fox thinking furiously at the new situation. Hiei knew what had to be done. The room was deteriorating and they had no way out – she was going to have go inside and help that wench.

And it just had to be a task. This temple was pissing him off. He could hear the fear in her voice when she started screaming about the snakes. She didn't like them. He knew how much she didn't like them. When he looked down, she was nearly in tears. _No, dammit, _he fumed. She never did things according to what he wanted. She was ready for sex when it wasn't the time. She was going to cry when he needed her focused.

He didn't want to send her in there, but he had to force her down. She was practically begging him with those eyes for him to rescue her, but he couldn't – not this time. He didn't know how he would react if she voiced the words. He was losing his control every day with his mate. He was growing too soft – curse that beautiful fool.

She didn't cry when he ordered her into the chasm. He saw panic swimming in her eyes from his words. He hadn't meant them. If she disappointed him, he would ignore it. Like always, she took things too seriously. Still, he felt pride when she lowered herself away from him. She was weak, very much so, but she was mentally stronger to conquer her fears than that other wench was. When she was gone, his stress levels shot to the roof as he waited for her return. He wouldn't show it, but those few minutes were nerve racking. He was losing everything.

Now that it was all over, he was forcing himself to stay away from her. He had to focus. They had no way out right now. Another exit must be up ahead. For now, he had to focus on this Cain. He had to keep her protected.

* * *

The next room was the largest yet and reached upward for miles. Columns glittered all around and they were casting our reflections in various sizes. The crystal's seemed brighter, like a cerulean ocean. Everything glittered. The torches were all around and blazing with blue light. They appeared to be like fireflies within the frozen ices.

We headed further inside the room, walking quietly, walking toward the unknown, until I saw the familiar faces all across the room. Our group hurried to meet them.

"Kenji," I greeted softly as I bounded into his arms.

"How did you guys get out?" he asked when he released me. "We were in that room forever until the floor gave away. It just happened out of the blue."

"Valon and Karen were responsible," informed Kurama. He looked to Lena, "it was a task, but they managed it well."

Lena nodded and placed a hand on Valon's shoulder in a proud way. She turned to me to flash a gentle smile and I gave a little grin. Valon was the one that pulled the lever. I just delivered the pill.

"I'm not sure where we are, but I think up ahead," she nodded over to where a large column split the room, "we'll be near the prayer room."

"No," began Nessa softly. Her eyes were wide, as if she suddenly realized something. "We're already near the prayer room."

"What are –"

Giving a loud scream, Nessa's hands flew up to her head and she fell to her knees. The wails of agony echoed and I heard tiny shards break off somewhere. I was frozen as I watched Lena collapsed next to the small woman to lift her face up to her.

"Her eyes," I pointed a shaky finger while backing away, "they're red!"

"He's in her head!" yelled Takeo. He looked stricken as he held his cuffs in front of him to the nearest guard, "release me, now! He's here!"

Many things happened at once at his admission. The ginormous column splitting the room shattered and behind it was a set of stairs leading up to a room. An electrical barrier cackled before the door and at the top of the several, crystal stairs was a man. Nessa writhed in agony as he descended a step and I was unsure of what to do in this new situation.

He was tall, even from this distance I could tell he towered over Hiei, over Kuwabara – maybe seven feet. His shoulder-length, silver hair was moving gently with his next step and the bangs were saying like before dark, pupil-less red eyes. A red aura was emitting from around him and with each step, the columns lining the set of stairs shattered from the intensity.

"You should know better than to try and see into my head, little priestess," murmured Cain in a silky voice. His pointed fangs gleamed slightly as he smirked down at Nessa's tiny form.

No one moved. We were just regarding him as if he were some sort of deity. Then, his hand flicked and a blast of energy went wailing toward Nessa. Lena's pole blurred into sight from an outstretched hand and she spun it to try and ward off the energy. People were dispersing and Cain split into several clones. Lena tried to reach for Nessa, but she was thrown aside by another smaller blast.

I threw myself onto Nessa's body, needing to help this small woman. The eyes rolled in the back of her head and she went unconscious. Hiei's arm was wrapping around me from behind to drag me away, but I tore myself away to lean over her – this woman that had saved my mind. I couldn't leave her!

"No!" I screamed at his hurried clutches. I held tightly to her jacket and the fabric almost ripped as she was dragged with me. "NO!" I wasn't leaving her out here!

Hiei cursed loudly and hauled Nessa up over his shoulder with startling speed. I was dragged up against his body with his other arm and he blurred away. I was gasping at the cold air hitting my face, but it stopped quickly. We were behind a column and the sounds of a battle were looming all around us.

"Do not move from here!" Hiei demanded as he set Nessa down. I clutched at her slender form and she was cold against my body. He grabbed the sides of my head and whipped my face up. His eyes were dark and flickering with several emotions. "Stay here." He shook me slightly. "You do exactly as I say!"

He was gone.

"Nessa," I smoothed a trembling hand over her unblemished, cool skin. She was breathing lightly. "Wake up, Nessa."

* * *

Valon prayed silently as she faced one of Cain's clones. Lena was beside her and they circled slowly, watching for the first move. She could hear the battles around her and she prayed harder for the safety of the team. Her hands were shaking as she stared into his pupil-less, red eyes. Then, they turned a cool green. She narrowed her eyes.

Nessa was somewhere safe. She had looked back to check on her sister and noticed her gone. She had seen Hiei dragging them away. But Nessa was hurt. Maybe, too hurt. Valon had to get to that prayer room and take the energy. She could feel how strong Cain was and she knew the team was no match for him. He was too strong. She was going to have to use that energy from the temple to weaken him. It wouldn't be enough. She didn't how she knew that, but she knew it wouldn't be enough. However, it was the safety of everyone. It had to be enough to save them!

But how would she enter the prayer room?

_I'll have to think of a way,_ determined Valon. _I have to think of a way to escape his notice!_

She braced herself.

* * *

"Move," ordered Kurama to the young man behind him.

It all started so fast. He had barely had time throw himself against Kenji as the energy blast sailed between them and Lena. Kurama flattened him down in the ground and felt the light soaring over them with a piercing wail. There was another wail and he knew it was Yusuke's spirit gun. He heard the energies clash with a loud roar. Yusuke had saved someone from being hit by that blast.

"Up, now!" Kurama commanded in a cold voice. Now was not the time for niceties and the young man knew it.

Kenji pushed himself up and followed behind Kurama to avoid the shots being fired from a seemingly trigger-happy Cain clone. He was laughing coldly.

* * *

Kuwabara wasn't fast enough for Cain's clone. The demon was strong and fast. Kuwabara counted six clones zipping around the room. Knowing he wasn't going to stand a chance against Cain's speed or strength, Kuwabara activated the shield he had been working on with his energy. It was going to drain him, but he wouldn't be able to fend himself against the attacks. His body wouldn't hold up. He didn't want to use it yet, but he had too.

Gathering his energy, Kuwabara felt it hum through his body. He glowed orange for a second before the light faded. "Spirit Swords," he yelled and he felt the familiar blades appear in his hands. He wouldn't hold for long like this, but he could get in some blows and save his vitals.

He met Cain's icy, emerald eyes.

Cain moved like lightning and it was with gut-like instinct that Kuwabara crossed his swords. They cackled from the sword Cain had materialized within his hand. Whirling about, Cain delivered several hits and Kuwabara doubled over in pain. His shield took the brunt of the attacks, but Cain was strong enough to send him staggering.

Another clone appeared from a nearby fight. A sword materialized in this clone's hand, too, and it charged forward with the other clone. They were determined to end Kuwabara's life quickly to rid him from the fight. He didn't have time to dodge. He pushed energy into his shield to strengthen his body.

A sharp whistling sounded behind Kuwabara and there was a bright light. Kuwabara raised his arm to block his eyes just as each Cain flitted away. Opening his eyes, he looked around and saw Genkai nod at him. She had saved him with her spirit gun.

* * *

"You're beautiful as ever," cooed the original Cain darkly. "We are old friends from a forgotten age."

Lena stiffened, but continued to regard the demon with cold, calculating age. She settled more into her battle stance, tapping back into her icy guardian ways. She needed to hold Cain off while Valon went to the prayer room. The young priestess was going to have to head in alone without her – they were all outmatched by Cain. The energy was going to have to be used right away… if the ritual worked, that is.

_Tamara, please help us_, pleaded Lena. _I cannot do this alone. I need you now._

His lips curled slightly and his eyes danced, as if he were staring at a lover. She narrowed her eyes and charged forward to meet his quickly formed blade. They struggled with the blows, but Lena maneuvered desperately for the upper hand. She managed to dodge the vertical swipe to her shoulder and turned to aim her pole to the back of his neck. He fell to the ground and she dug her boot into the back of Cain's head. It wouldn't be enough, but it gave them a few seconds. She grinded his face into the ground and glared over her shoulder at Valon.

"Go," she yelled.

But Cain vanished beneath her boot and reappeared in front of Valon. The young woman stared up into his face with startled eyes. He chuckled in amusement. Valon's fists shook and she gathered all of her courage.

"A priestess, too," he asked softly. "Why have they brought two?"

A split second and his eyes flashed. Valon could almost see him thinking and she lowered her gaze to keep him from peering into her head. His punches came, but she gathered energy into her arms to soften the blows. He seemed surprised, but she concentrated on keeping on herself standing. She watched his feet. She listened to the attacks. She could see in her head just where to anticipate the next attack. It was enough to help her –

An elbow slammed into her back and she flew forward with a burst of speed. Hitting the ground, she skidded and the crystal floor burned her cheek. All her training flashed in her head and she rolled over to avoid the foot she knew was coming to end her life. She kept rolling – to and fro – but he was so fast.

She was lifted by the front of her shirt. She paled at the sight of the red energy circling his raised fist. It flew toward her face and she couldn't stop him. She had failed. She hadn't even lasted. They were all going to die if she couldn't get in that temple. It wasn't supposed to end like this yet!

A blur smacked against Cain and he went flying away. She was dragged slightly in the wake until her shirt ripped from his hand. Valon stared at her savior. Takeo was standing in between her and Cain. He was free.

Takeo glared savagely up into his former Master's eyes. He knew that this Cain wasn't a copy. Quickly, Cain made two more copies, the most Takeo had ever seen the demon make, as he already had six out in the room – he had become stronger since he left his services. Not to be surprised, Takeo smashed his hands together and created his own two copies. They stared into one another's eyes and both were regarding each other coldly.

"You were my strongest, Takeo," said Cain with narrowed eyes, "but the human side of you gave into weaker emotions. Perhaps, that is why you were always able to fight my control. Stand aside now, help me with these weaklings… you know they are not strong enough. You're not strong enough right now."

"I have sided," growled Takeo. "I am no longer you're servant."

Master and former servant began fighting.

* * *

Kenji was useless. He couldn't do anything to help. He couldn't even see Cain when he was moving. He was a blur, like brief static – that shadow one sees in a darkened hallway. He had never felt as helpless as he did now.

He searched the room, looking past all the fights. His heart was ready to rip from his chest as he tried to find Karen. She had to be safe. He remembered seeing Hiei facing Cain in a duel with swords. Only, he couldn't keep up with the fight. Surely, the demon would not have left Karen's side.

Seeing something out of the corner of his eye, Kenji jumped back as Cain went flying past him. The female SWAT guard had Cain pinned to the wall with her glowing hands. Her hood was whipped back from the force. She had fiery, red hair that flowed from her energy charged hands. Blood gushed to the floor as the guard's hands tightened. She was yelling with her attack, as if her energy was binding Cain in place.

But Cain fought against her binding hold and threw off her hands. He wrapped a hand around her neck and lifted her into the air. She was grasping at his hold, kicking wildly for breath. Despite the noise of the blasts and yells, Kenji heard the brutal crushing of bones. She went limp and he tossed her aside into the wall, where he buried her inside several inches. She slid to the ground in a puddle of blood.

Turning, Cain glared at Kenji and began advancing toward him. Flicking his hand, a red disc went flying toward him. Kenji tried to move out of the way but the disc grazed his arm and created a small cut. He was frozen in his fear. He was reeling from the death of that guard. He couldn't grasp the concept that this was real. It was real. It was all real!

Continuing to advance, Cain was soon stopped as huge roots surged out of the ground. Large thorns danced all along the roots and began attacking Cain viciously. They were growing at an alarming rate and stretching into the air. The roots were thickening and Cain was blurring from within the mass of plants. The roots were trying to entrap him.

"Kenji," warned a cold, smooth voice.

Kenji turned shakily and met the hardened eyes of Kurama. He was kneeling to the ground with his hand braced against the cold floor. His hair was lifting slightly in a dangerous way as he stared past Kenji. The redhead's hand was glowing green.

"Stay behind me," murmured Kurama.

Kenji saw a flicker of gold in the man's eyes and he hurried to follow the order.

* * *

I couldn't stand sitting here behind this column. The entire room was roaring from several attacks. Shards from above were raining down. A giant hanging column broke from the ceiling miles above them and created a dent in the ground below. I was covering Nessa from any falling crystal, but she wouldn't wake.

I had tried watching the fight, but it was all too fast. I couldn't even see Hiei, even if he was somewhere near the column. He had blurred out of sight with one of Cain's clones. I had seen them staring one another down before they moved.

But I caught glimpses.

Yusuke was fighting alongside Genkai and they were moving gracefully. However, Cain was fast and they were struggling to fire off decent shots. The shorter guard went flying into a wall somewhere by a clone and they vanished in a shattering of crystals. Valon was helping Lena to fight, but Lena was hurt. Valon was hurrying to support Lena while they sought for cover. I eyed the blood trailing from Lena's stomach wound.

There was movement and I glanced down to the woman in my arms. I watched as her eyelids fluttered and her eyes, eyes like mine, stared up at me in confusion.

"Nessa," I beamed breathlessly.

"H-how long was I out?" she whispered while I helped her sit up.

"I don't know," I answered shakily. Time seemed nonexistent. "I want to say an hour – it feels like it's been a long time."

Hearing the chaos, Nessa crawled away to peek around the column. I was unable to watch any longer. It was too maddening. She was trembling at the sight and I glanced down to stare at my hands. I was shaking, too. I can't remember if I had ever stopped shaking since I entered this temple.

"He's too strong." She stated while turning to regard me with a pale face. It was then I realized she was hardly older, maybe only a year older. We were so young, but I felt so old and weak now….

"I know," I murmured worriedly. I didn't know how… but I could just feel cold darkness around us. "I can feel it."

"I'll have to get up those stairs," she continued in a hollow sort of voice. I watched her blue eyes flickering while she planned. "I have to use the energy against him."

"I thought we had to collect it and hand it off to the strongest to use against him," I countered. "If he's this strong, the energy isn't going to be enough, is it?"

She bowed her head and started crying. "I don't know," she wailed softly, "but he's going to kill us all if we don't do something. We still don't know if this ritual will work, but I have to try. I have to get in there, Karen! It's all we have now."

Hearing her words, I sank against the column. I buried my face in my hands and tried to smother her sobs from my frightened mind. She was scared. I was scared. I was so scared.

I heard a scream of agony. Panicking, I hurried to stare around the column. I almost screamed when I saw Kuwabara impaled with Cain's blade. Kuwabara's glowing swords fell from his hands and he collapsed onto his knees. Tears fell from my eyes as I watched Cain kick Kuwabara off his sword and the man, my friend, went skidding along the floor.

I remembered all the battles he reenacted for me. I remembered observing the moments between Yukina and him. I remembered his charming attitude and goofy smile.

This was going to happen to others. They were going to die. Kuwabara might be dead by now. I couldn't watch this happen!

"Please, tell me what to do!" I hurried to Nessa. "Tell me you have a plan! Please!"

She was brushing away her tears and sniffed past her fear. "H-he's hovering near the prayer room. He knows we're trying to get in, but he's distracted. I can see it. He's enjoying the fights too much." I kneeled before her with wide eyes. "He doesn't know about the ritual. I was in his head for a few seconds before he attacked my mind. He doesn't know."

"…What do we do?"

"We're the closest ones," she was pale under the blue hues of the room. "I don't know if he knows we're here or not, but if he did, he would have come for us." She looked deeply into my eyes. "We need a distraction into that temple. If he sees us heading up there, he'll come after us."

My mouth went dry.

"You're energy doesn't register," she continued gravely, "he won't take your soul. He wouldn't waste the time trying to take a non-priestess soul. All I need is a few seconds to run up those stairs without interference."

We were staring into each other's eyes and the room trembled violently around us. I heard a thousand shards falling in the background. It was the sound of laughing evil. I saw the stricken fear in her crystalline eyes.

"I'm sorry, sister," she sobbed. "It's all I have. I don't know what he'll do to you, but he's hungry. He's dangerous. He'll go after you. I know it… but as long as your soul is untouched."

If I died, it would be okay… as long as my soul is untouched.

Lowering my eyes, I stared at the crystal floor beneath our hands. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against mine. We were breathing together while the cries echoed around the room. We were breathing together in this heavy darkness.

"Tell me when," I whispered.

This might not work. He might not come after me, but we had to try. I stood at the edge of the column and readied myself to run toward the stairs. There was no time to think. No childhood memories came to help me with this rash decision. Time didn't slow down.

She yelled.

I whirled away from the column and darted toward the stairs. My heart was beating painfully in my head and thrashing in my chest. I locked my eyes on the steps. Now wasn't the time to trip. Now wasn't the time to mess up. I had to look convincing to Cain.

I didn't hear anything. The noises were gone save for my beating heart. The color blue was whipping past me like waving stars and I jumped onto the second step. I pushed forward, pressing hard into the crystal steps. Shards danced before my eyes and I touched the last step.

The noise roared back into my ears as a body slammed into me. We went flying off the stairs and I hit the ground beneath a large body. I gazed up at cold, emerald eyes. He was inches from my face and I thrashed beneath him. I felt him sniffing deeply at the side of my head.

"A decoy," he spat against my ear, "you thought to outwit me, did you, you demon's whore!"

I was screaming as he rolled me over and pressed a hand at the back of my head. I gagged at force of his weight. I tried fighting back against him, but he was playing with me. He wasn't even using his full strength. He wanted me to suffer for trying to fool him.

"I am a priestess," I screamed while he laughed. I had to convince him long enough to allow Nessa inside the room.

"Where is it, then? Where is your delicious energy?" He purred sarcastically. He didn't believe me. "Shall I rip you apart until you tell me, whore." He pushed against the back of my head again and I winced at the contact of the floor against my cheek. "Why were you running toward the temple?"

"Because I'm scared," I cried.

"No, you're not scared yet," he laughed in my ear.

My jacket ripped away while I pushed myself up to my knees to crawl forward with violent fear to fight for my life. His hand wrapped around my ankle and he dragged me back to him. I was unable to stop him from raising my bruised arm high into the air. I heard the loud crack and my entire arm twitched. Static danced before my eyes as my cheek hit the ground. My arm twitched again, but I was too weak to fight. I was always so weak.

Crystals shattered and the falling pieces sounded like rain with my echoing scream.

It sounded like cleansing rain.

Raining and raining.


	31. Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-One: Aftermath

* * *

Blood...

It had been too long since Hiei had tasted his own blood. The taste of blood was like the beat of a war drum as his body prepared to fight, the muscles tensing and his energy brewing like a storm. He had always been captivated by blood whether it was his or his opponent's, but he preferred the latter.

Standing calmly from the rubble of rocks, Hiei faced him, that demon they called Cain. Cain was grinning with his green eyes alighted in excitement. Hiei could tell why Lena, a mere human, would fear Cain. He could feel Cain's strength, feel it tingling around him as it contaminated the air with the familiar scents of Demon World.

Hiei licked his lips, removing the bit of blood pooling at the cut on his lower lip.

Cain was strong, Hiei would give him that, and he might go as far as to admit that he even envied the demon. He admired the ruthless aura around Cain. He envied the intelligence in that ancient demon's eyes. He even envied the way Cain held himself, as if he had already won, as if the many fighters in the room weren't enough to defeat him.

Cain lifted his hand as red energy pooled in his palm before stretching the length of his arm. A blade materialized.

Perhaps, this is what Mukuro had been like in her prime, a true cutthroat, with the hunger for taking lives. Now, Mukuro was intent only on overseeing the borders between Human World and Demon World. She didn't rise to challenges. She didn't even kill for the sheer fun of it. She had grown old and Hiei had joined her services too late.

Hiei stared into Cain's eyes, challenging his venomous stare.

Cain was the demon he had been searching for in his youth. Cain was the criminal mastermind that he would have gladly served if only to make his place in all three worlds. If Hiei had met this Cain before his downfall in Human World, he would have joined Cain.

Yet, despite Mukuro's lack of evil, Hiei stayed in her services. Like Mukuro, he had lost his need for bloodlust and power. Fighting was mindless and there was no more satisfaction from the screams of his victims. It must have been after Mukuro had given him his mother's hirui stone, one of his two goals that had eluded him for years. After having found his sister and obtained his mother's crystallized tear, there was, nothing else left to do – except find, his last honor in death.

He had welcomed death, awaited the darkness of descending to whatever realm he was to be placed in, but Mukuro had saved him. After that, Mukuro tried to sell him the idea that they were alike, both searching for the peace that had been snatched from them at birth. Yes, he had many things in common with Mukuro and maybe finding _solace _with each other was what he needed.

Cain and Hiei circled one another, calculating each other's attacks.

Hah, solace! Hiei didn't believe in such a thing because his solace could only be found in death. Hiei had respected Mukuro, but he couldn't give her what she needed, that connection she wanted to share with him. It might have been solace for her, but it was only sex for him as it had been with other women. Mukuro was a smart demon and she had realized that their feelings were different for each other, that is, if he had any feelings.

She wanted Hiei as her lifelong companion, maybe even her mate, and he might have accepted, but he would have only been a mate in it for the power. Then, he realized that he could never be her mate. Not even the promises of power over her lands were enough to tie him to her in that sacred bond. She could only ever be the lord that he served.

Hiei was heartless and she knew it, which was why she accepted his withdrawal without question.

He began disappearing for months, not knowing or caring where he went, and was surprised when he found himself lurking around Human World more often than in Demon World. He'd mostly watch his sister as she began to find her place in that dreaded world, growing closer to friends and admiring humans with her caring heart. She was happier when that Idiot was around and laughed, always laughed when he was by her side. It used to annoy him, the way Kuwabara would stare at Yukina or touch her face, but eventually he found he no longer cared. She was happy. He drifted back to Demon World.

There was nothing exciting in Demon World, except for the solitude. There, in Demon World, he could climb the highest tree, in the darkest of places, and just sit, for hours, maybe even days without any curious stares or annoying disturbances. Time passed and he would watch several sunsets and sunrises without moving. Days, months, eventually years, became a blur as he went about life, not caring if his life ended or if he would live for a few more centuries.

Back then, he had only existed.

Cain's hand blurred toward Hiei's face, but he dodged and flipped backward.

Then he saw her, Karen, his partner in this forced connection. In truth, he hated her at first sight because she made him fear something. Suddenly, all he could see and hear was Karen. There was no more darkness. All his senses came back, even his thoughts returned, and it was almost painful to experience everything after such a long time in the dark.

Cain and Hiei glared at each other.

Curse the day she looked up at him with those trusting eyes.

Cain shoved the hilt of his blade against Hiei's jaw.

Curse the smile she flashed at him.

There was a blur of steel.

Curse the laugh that never left his mind.

Hiei spun and landed a kick against Cain's jaw, sending the tall demon skidding across the floor.

"_I'm happy with you, is that so wrong?"_

Hearing those words from so long ago, his fingers clenched around the handle of his sword.

Now, he lived for _her_.

Hiei was a skilled swordsman and to his surprise, so was Cain. It had been so long since he had last fought someone who could handle a blade with ease. His blood and adrenaline mixed, furthering his excitement as their swords clashed.

Swords were swift and powerful, almost artistic if one could handle the blade with precision. They were a step up from hand-to-hand combat because the next move, one wrong step, could end one's life. Marring an opponent's skin was a victory in itself. Fighting with a sword was like painting with a brush, the blade cutting designs in vivid red. The blood is the paint. The skin is the canvas.

Hiei should have had the advantage with his natural born speed but Cain matched him, stroke for stroke, never letting up as they moved across the room in a wild frenzy. Hiei parried, blocked, parried, and it was quick repetition, but Hiei was trained to know that Cain was setting him up for some sneak attack. With swift movements, Hiei leaned back, placed a hand on the ground, and swung in his leg up to aim a kick at Cain's chest. Startled, Cain flew back, feet skidding along the ground as he tried to remain upright. Lip curling, Hiei gave Cain one of his cruel, sadistic smiles.

Bad move.

Charging forward, Cain unleashed his fury and Hiei struggled to block Cain's rapid blows. Finally, Cain spun, catching Hiei off guard, and he couldn't block Cain's blade as it sliced above his right eyebrow. As the blood spilled forth into his eye, he growled out in seething anger. Staggering backward, Hiei hurriedly wiped a hand across his face.

Cain chuckled as he blurred around, taking advantage of the blood dripping into Hiei's right eye. Eye stinging from the blood, Hiei barely managed to flip out of the way, as Cain's sword went flying through the air. Hiei must have looked a sight as he turned to face Cain, blood covering the right side of his face.

He wouldn't be able to use his dragon. Hiei was still recovering from its use and he was not in control, but if he had to… he would do what was necessary. Still, he was going to have to use his jagan to keep up now.

The third eye opened up and glowed venomously. Smirking, Hiei disappeared and so did Cain as they prepared to rage havoc against one another.

* * *

Yusuke was pissed. There was no other emotion, which could describe how he felt in this hell. He was completely pissed off at how Cain blurred around him and Genkai, leering at them with those icy eyes. For the past hour, or maybe it was two, he had been watching Cain, timing his speed, but the demon was too fast. It was hard and damn tiring to get in a punch when Cain could simply dodge and still have time to insult them.

"On the left," Genkai murmured as she crouched.

Yusuke's teeth set on edge, "no, he's coming from the right."

Standing back to back with Genkai, Yusuke's eyes flickered to and fro, as he concentrated on Cain, but it was like watching a game of tennis set at an insane speed. They could barely keep up and all they could do was watch each other's back as Cain zipped around repeatedly. Even after tapping into his inner Mazoku, his speed couldn't match Cain's frenzied pace. It was as if his demon energy was barely trickling, blocked by something in his body.

It was blocked. He had been trying for months to get it flowing right, but his body had aged. It was taking too long. Puu had even reverted to his original form. He didn't understand it, but all he had was just enough demon energy to keep up with the demon. He had to make do with what he had for now.

As Cain zoomed in with his next attack, Yusuke crossed his arms, effectively blocking Cain's rapid punches as the demon blurred in front of him. While Cain continued to hit him, Yusuke abruptly grabbed Cain's forearms. Growling, Yusuke promptly fell back to drag Cain with him to the ground. As if she had heard Yusuke's plan, Genkai jumped into the air. She swung her leg over Yusuke's face and connected the kick with Cain's neck. Hurriedly, Yusuke released Cain's arms at the right moment. Hitting the ground, Yusuke rolled back onto his feet and watched Cain slide across the floor from the force of the attack.

"Damn it," Yusuke mumbled as Cain stood calmly to his feet, "stay down."

Genkai shifted tiredly into her stance and Yusuke could hear her rapid breathing. Genkai was rapidly losing her strength and she had one energy blast left, and then it was up to Yusuke to fire the shots. If her former student used his head, he might be able to land a few. With limited energy, Genkai could only rely on her dodging skills and martial arts, but that was limited. She was nowhere near as fast as Yusuke or Cain.

"Set him up," Genkai whispered. She had to fire the shot now before she was too exhausted and Cain took her out.

Without a word, Yusuke darted forth, this time meeting Cain head on with an on slot of combos, fists flying in intricate moves. Surprisingly, in just seconds, Yusuke jerked his elbow up and pinned Cain in the throat. Grunting, Cain staggered backwards. With an energy charged fist, Yusuke delivered an uppercut to an unguarded Cain.

"Now," Yusuke yelled as Cain flew several feet in the air.

Holding her finger out, Genkai cried out as she fired her spirit gun. The shot should have hit Cain but in the last second, Cain twisted in midair to dodge the bullet. Cursing, Yusuke watched as the bright light streaked past Cain like a meteor and hit the wall. The crystals shattered.

Far off in the corner, a series of bullets went sailing over their heads and all the way across the room. It aimed toward a clone crouched over someone.

* * *

"Where did that clone go," whispered Valon.

"He's up… up to something," gasped a panting Takeo.

Hiei glanced over briefly as he aimed his flaming fist toward an unsuspecting Cain. Instead of hitting the demon, he wrapped his arm around Cain's neck and twisted violently. The clone hadn't been expecting such a vile attack and went slack in his arms. It disappeared. Panting, Hiei lowered to the ground. His jagan was draining him. Hearing the statements from those two, he wondered what the hell they were doing conversing while clones were still running around them.

It was as he was kneeling to catch his breath before checking on his mate when he heard a series of whistles. The fiery lights sailed over his head and he followed them tiredly. The orange lights glowed brightly like fire and illuminated the corner beyond the stairs. His heart thudded painfully as he saw the young woman trapped beneath Cain.

The sailing bullets flew into Cain's side and hurtled him into the distance. Hiei blurred past the ongoing fights and toward his mate. What was she doing so far from the column he had hidden her near?

She was lying on her stomach and he saw the bone peeking up in her forearm. He saw the trickle of blood trailing for where the bone burst through the skin and his hands shook.

* * *

They were losing. Kurama's plants were dwindling as his energy drained. He was trying to tap into his demon soul – something he promised not to do since his last battle in the Demon World Tournament. Yet, he didn't trust his demon self. He had tried, but he could only manage to stay in control for a few seconds. His demon soul was hungry. He was still trying to work up to control he had when he was younger.

Kurama knew Yusuke was having trouble with his demon energy, as well – they had foregone too long in the peace they had found after the tournament. Kuwabara had improved greatly, but Kurama saw him lying in a puddle of blood. The shorter guard had dragged him off to safety.

Cain was strong and Kurama knew the demon was teasing them. Cain was thriving off the fight, something he had probably gone from for so long. But Cain seemed stronger than Takeo had let on and Kurama had a bad feeling – that Cain had already taken the soul from the captured priestess. It would explain why he was so fast and every clone was as strong as the original.

They needed a plan. Kurama was barely struggling to keep himself and Kenji alive against the clone they were fighting. He knew Yusuke was doing the same for Genkai. He knew Yusuke was trying to tap into his demon energy, to draw it out more. Hokushin was defending Takeo, but he had never fully recovered from his energy use against Takeo. Lena was nowhere in sight. Valon was fighting beside Takeo, but the half-breed was staggering.

Hiei had to use his dragon. He was the only one with a powerful attack, but the dragon had drained him from his first use in Demon World. Hiei had even struggled to aim the attack and control his dragon. It was a risky move. Hiei needed to find the control. They needed to turn the tables, quickly.

Pulling a seed from his hair, Kurama slammed into the ground and poured his energy into the seed. He had used the same plant when he had saved Karen and Botan from the fall in Tokyo. If Hiei was going to use the dragon, his plant would provide a shield should the dragon be too unstable – as long as he could hold it with his energy. He might have to tap into Yoko and force himself to control the demon just to keep the plant up. It was risky.

Everything was risky.

As his plant began enlarging, he heard the bullets flying overhead. His emerald eyes trailed the spirit bullets until they slammed into Cain across the room. He saw Hiei blur next to the figure on the ground and Kurama's eyes widened. He took in Hiei's shaking hand. Kurama yelled and forced his energy to spiral heatedly into the growing plant.

Then the bullets went flying again. It sounded like a human war as they cackled in the air this time. The bullets pierced Cain where he had remained unmoving the first time. Crystals shattered around him and every one of his clones disappeared. The bullets plummeted into him and he disappeared among the blue dust of crushed shards.

When the attacks stopped, Cain was still standing. He was smirking.

"_Get in the plant!" _commanded Kurama.

His plant wasn't finished, but Hiei's arm was erupting in a deadly, black aura. The attack had to come now. Kurama had been in too many fights and he knew Cain was preparing something deadly. Hiei was going to have to do his best in aiming that dragon. They were out of time.

Kenji must have called out to everyone, too, because people were rushing into his half-developed plant. It wasn't as big as he wanted, but it would have to do. However, half the team was too far away and in danger of Hiei's attack.

Cain was circling around and drawing Hiei forward. Kurama stared at Karen's unconscious from, but she was too far away to reach. He had to hope Hiei drew far enough away to keep from burning the young woman.

The entire room trembled and Kurama saw a few black lights bursting up from the ground to soar up into the air. The dragon was emerging. Jumping into his plant, Kurama closed enough to shield them and promptly spread his hands against the floor of his plant. He inhaled deeply and concentrated to keep his energy steady.

* * *

"You would do well to join me, young demon," purred Cain as he moved slowly to bring Hiei closer to him. "You were the only one to destroy one of my clones so far. I could use your services. I can give you what you should have had. I can tell you want power." Cain's eyes glinted with murderous promise. They were burning red again and the pupils shrank away. "I can give you more than you ever imagined."

Hiei's eyes narrowed and his arm quivered.

"If human whores are what you want, well, ask those in my services," Cain waved his hands about as if they were around them. "I give them the wenches. I know delicate humans appease lustful demons. There's nothing wrong with that."

His eyes darkened.

Narrowing his eyes, Cain smirked. "I won't lie to you. I'm telling you the truth." When Hiei refused to move much more, Cain nodded his head toward the woman sprawled on the ground. "If not, then bring her and join me, but I cannot guarantee that she will be solely for yourself, demon. She screams too lusciously –"

There was a roaring cry and Hiei felt the fire burning down his arm, through his hand, and from his fingertips. He felt the pain rippled down his muscles as the dragon burst free from within his palm with several cries. It went screeching toward Cain and Hiei pushed his arm forward to hurl the dragon faster.

But his right arm was shaking. He gripped his arm with his other hand and steadied the pulses tearing through him. He could feel his skin charring, as it did the first time he ever used his dragon. He hadn't experienced such pain in a long time.

"CAIN," Hiei roared as he embraced the dark flames.

Eyes widening, Cain went sailing toward the ceiling with the dragon. The Dragon of the Darkness Flame was tearing up into the temple's sky. Black lights were mingling with the blue crystals. Black lightning was piercing the room along with the roar of flames and screams of an ancient dragon. Cain's body shattered through several enormous columns and the shards dug into his back. Howling against the dragon's roar, Cain pushed his energy into his arms to shove against the dragon.

* * *

Lena staggered over to Karen's fallen form and collapsed to the ground. Pushing herself up, Lena threw up a shield to protect them from the debris and dragon's aura. She heard Karen stirring against her, but she didn't have to check her injuries. She had to concentrate. Lena's energy was dissipating from her stomach she had needed to heal to keep moving. She had enough to protect this woman.

The dragon stopped and in mid-air, the black beast flickered from view. Several feet away, Lena watched Hiei stagger onto his knees and hunch over his right arm with a low growl of pain. Cain went tumbling from high up and Lena's blood went cold. Cain landed lightly. His head lifted and the blazing reds were smoldering her into deeper fear.

It was over. He was too strong.

Then, a small woman walked past Lena and her unique, colored eyes widened. Nessa was heading toward Cain with a calm expression. A long moment passed and Lena was pulled back into the past, as if she could see her sister standing before her to protect her in this madness. It had never happened before – Lena had always done the protecting until she failed in the end. She failed so miserably, that she could never forgive herself for her weakness.

Frowning, Cain stepped back from the tiny woman. Holding her hand out, Nessa released the bit of energy she collected and a whoosh of air erupted around them. Gentle, blue eyes lit up with a gold hue and golden energy surged from her slender hand. Light burst into the air. It was blinding and Lena turned away to save her eyes. She felt her shield quiver from the sheer force of air.

With a howl of rage, Cain fell to his knees. Gold energy curled around him like a hand squeezing his monstrous body. Nessa's hand trembled but she remained standing. Finally, the energy disappeared and Cain slammed his palm onto the ground. Red wisps wrapped around his body and hurled him through a temple wall.

He was fleeing.

_Thank you, Tamara,_ thought Lena. The ritual worked, but they were going to need greater energy to defeat Cain when he came back to enact his rage. It would be some time. They had time now. Gasping, Lena released her shield.

* * *

Yusuke grunted as he unfurled himself from a clutter of shards. He hissed at the cuts littering his chest and arms, but they would heal soon. Shaking his head, he made his way to the middle of the room. He saw Nessa being held up by Kenji while she talked to a pale-faced Lena.

"I did not see you go inside," Lena's eyes probed Nessa for information, "when?"

"After Karen fled up the stairs," whispered Nessa worriedly. Eyes watering, Nessa glanced back up at the tall woman, "I didn't know what to do, Lena. I knew he was too strong for you guys. If I went up the stairs, he would have come after me – he would have taken my soul."

Lena bowed her head. "You were relying on the fact that Karen's priestess energy is hidden. If anything were to happen, she would at least have a soul intact."

Nessa nodded sadly. "I slipped in unnoticed." At this, she trembled violently. "I-I found Palei, but she was…"She couldn't finish. She shook her head. "I performed the ritual. It took longer than necessary because Cain had poured corrupted energy inside the core. I had to clean it, but I gathered what little energy was inside the core. I'm sorry I had to use it."

"Is he destroyed?" asked Valon as she limped toward the gathering group.

Lena grimaced, "no, but he's greatly weakened. All our attacks and Hiei's attack was enough to weaken him before the bit of energy Nessa used against him. However, this buys us time."

"Yes," answered Genkai as she healed Kuwabara the best that she could with her energy. His stomach wound was closing, but slowly. "Now we can focus on these temples while he basks in pain. We have an advantage now."

"But so does he," murmured Kurama. His eyes were darkened with fatigue. "He knows that we are using temples. We'll need to plan. He may have worked alone in the past, but considering he gathered fighter's like Takeo, he must be forming his men. Still, they would be better than Cain."

"Karen," asked Yusuke drowsily, but with wide eyes. "What happened to her?"

Genkai glanced up at Yusuke from where she was healing Kuwabara. "She was used as a decoy to help Nessa into the prayer room, but she's fine. She's with Hiei," she nodded over her shoulder, "I'm afraid we can't heal her arm yet – it's shattered in three places. She has a few broken ribs, but our ally prevented too much damage." Yusuke relaxed. He hadn't realized he was holding his breath. "Once we get to Spirit World, she can be treated. She'll be just fine. She's a brave woman."

Yusuke staggered away to check on Karen.

"Who's the ally," inquired Kurama.

The shorter guard walked up. "Psyche," he began, "was used to help protect the temples outside. Psyche remains undercover to help us and is working for Spirit World."

"Psyche must have followed us inside," stated Genkai. She pulled Kuwabara's shirt down. "She was supposed to remain outside, but it is a good thing she was here. She damaged Cain greatly with that sneak attack. She's able to hide her energy rather well – as long as no one is searching too hard. It aided us greatly as he didn't detect her."

"P-Palei," panted Takeo. He had a bleeding arm, but he was heading toward the stairs. "Palei, where is she?" Nessa began crying, but Takeo turned to Valon. "Please?"

It was odd to hear Takeo so concerned, but Valon knew what he wanted. She nodded her head and began heading upstairs, as only a priestess and highest could enter past the barrier.

* * *

His arm was screaming in agony, but he ignored the pain and turned back to his mate when Cain was gone. Ripping his shirt off, he tore a large strip and wrapped it around his arm tightly. His arm trembled at the act, but he bore down. His dragon was reacting to the change of his hormones when he underwent his growth spurt nearly six years ago. He should have known that was why he was having trouble with the beast. For now, he was going to have to tolerate the pain until the dragon grew used to his body again.

Kneeling next to his mate, he ignored Lena's eyes. She didn't even protest when he gathered Karen into his arms, being mindful to keep from jostling her right arm. His own charred, right arm protested at the act of curling around her slender body, but he hardened his eyes. He couldn't protect her and his suffering arm was for her broken arm. That was his punishment.

"Karen's arm is broken. I found three places, but we're limited on healing energy. She also has four bruised ribs, but they did not pierce anything, as far as I can tell. I have numbed the pain a bit, just until we get to Spirit World." She stood up slowly. "She is fine."

"I know," he almost snapped, but the words came out soft instead.

When she walked away, he glanced down at Karen's face. She had a developing bruise on right side and several small cuts. Lifting the rest of his tattered shirt, he settled more comfortably on the ground and cleaned a few of the cuts. He heard the Nessa woman recounting her story and he bristled silently at Karen's involvement. Closing his eyes in fury, he calmed himself and returned to cleaning his mate. He had been so focused on staring at her injuries that he didn't notice that she was awake.

"You stupid woman," he hissed tiredly. He glared down into her frightened sapphires. He could see traces of dry tears, but she was fighting to keep from crying. He didn't want her to cry right now. She had never done so. She was always trying to be strong around him. It made his chest tightened. _My little fool,_ he thought tiredly.

"I'm okay," she whispered.

"Shut up," he growled quietly, that it almost sounded tender.

"… I'm sorry."

"Why don't you ever listen to me, you goddamn, little fool," he felt like shaking her, but he simply pulled her up a bit within his arms and bowed his head. Brushing his lips over hers, he relished in her steady breaths. It filled his exhausted lungs with pure, sweet air. "I told you to stay hidden. Didn't I tell you to stay there?" he muttered against her lips, "why can't you just listen to me?"

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

He traced the outline of her bruised cheek and stared down at her bright eyes. "Don't go against my orders again," he kissed the corner of her mouth, "do you hear me?"

"…Yes."

* * *

Yusuke paused several feet from the couple. He was surprised at the change in his comrade. He never expected to witness a time where Hiei would be rocking a woman softly in his arms. He couldn't hear what the demon was saying, but they were staring at one another with such intensity. It almost seemed too private to see the demon kissing the small woman as if she would break from the slightest pressure.

Seeing the moment didn't disturb him. He wasn't going to go running around babbling about Hiei's moment. Yusuke just wanted Karen to have the best… but as long as Hiei was trying, well, he could respect Hiei's claim. He only hoped the demon would give Karen the things she needed – what did it matter if Hiei was soft around her, as long it was just them two? _Be ruthless to all of us, just give her what she deserves_, thought Yusuke.

"Better treat her right, Hiei," mumbled Yusuke under his breath. "You're not always gonna get a second chance."

Satisfied that Karen was okay, Yusuke turned away to give them some privacy.

* * *

Valon's gaze hardened, as she entered the prayer room. Moving with sure steps, Valon felt her hands tremble and she couldn't explain why, but she wanted to turn around. Ignoring the feeling, she kept walking.

Before she even entered the room, she could feel the overwhelming sadness and pain within this sacred room. The barrier was still cackling but she walked through it without any hesitation and the barrier let her pass without so much as a shock. Valon's boots thudded against the floor and the sound echoed loudly, making the hair rise on the back of her neck. As the room opened up, she thought she would be able to feel some sort of ominous power but Nessa had taken the energy. Now, all that was left was pain and grief.

Then she saw her, the young priestess sprawled on the ground with her limbs torn away. Once innocent, green eyes were dull with the loss of her soul and Valon howled in misery. There was so much blood, splattered on the walls and pooling beneath the girl. Valon didn't know how she could miss it, all the blood and the smell, that horrible coppery odor. Valon's stomach lurched and she staggered backward as the smell of death assaulted her nose.

As she stood, basking in the emotions of the young girl, she began shaking, not in fear, but in anger for a sister, she had never known. _Palei,_ she thought miserably.

"_She was ten and had such a gentle heart."_

"You were too young to suffer this," sobbed Valon. "You were too young!"

With a heart-wrenching cry, Valon fell to her knees. She could feel the fear of her fellow priestess, taste it in the air and in her mind. She heard the screams as if the young girl was screaming now. She had felt everything as her limbs were torn, being tortured both physically and mentally. She had cried, oh she had cried for help that was too late.

Crying, Valon didn't know if she could take all the emotions. She hadn't known the girl but they had been connected, sharing the same fate and something felt severed. Hand braced against the wall, Valon stared at the girl, and noticed the black designs in the shape of a flame over the bit of her chest that was left intact.

It was the evidence of her soul taken and Valon remembered the fiery mark. She would never forget this young girl. She would never be afraid again.

Jaw clenching, Valon collected the yellow ribbon lying on the ground. It was untouched by blood. Palei was in too many pieces to carry back with all their injuries. Leaning forward, Valon kissed the severed head of Palei. She placed her lips against the girl's forehead and vowed to fight for this delicate soul.

"I'm sorry to leave you, little sister," whispered Valon, "but I'll avenge your soul. I promise you."

Staggering out of the room, Valon left the small girl and the echoing screams trailed away. Outside, she saw her comrades helping either the injured or staring up at Nessa, wondering why the woman was crying.

"Valon," Lena placed a hand on her arm to halt her once she slumped away from the stairs.

Valon wanted to hate Cain. If she didn't have her precious soul, she would hunt him down and take what he had taken from that little girl. Closing her eyes, she inhaled shakily as she tried to control herself. She could hate, but not the kind of ravaging hate she wanted to war against him. She calmed her mind.

"The priestess," Valon mumbled. "He took her soul."

"She didn't deserve this!" Nessa grabbed fistfuls of hair and sobbed, "she experienced so much pain –She was so scared. It's hurting," she clutched at her chest.

There was complete silence in the temple. Nothing could be done. It could only be a reminder for those present.

"I have this hair ribbon, can someone give it to her family," Valon spoke in a dead voice, "It's all I could..."

She didn't finish her sentence. What word would be appropriate? Salvage sounded too cruel.

Takeo stumbled forward and held out his large hand. "I'll carry it to Spirit World." Valon stared up at the half-breed, but placed the ribbon in his hand. Takeo had flashbacks of the gentle conversations he had with the little girl when he made to deliver her meals. _I'm sorry, Palei_, he stared at the ribbon.

"We have to leave," Lena announced. "Nessa has collected the energy. The moment we step outside, this temple will be no more."

Without saying anything, Nessa pointed down the room where another door awaited them. Knowing Nessa was too weak to walk, Kenji lifted the woman easily into his arms. His mind felt old and tired, but he had strength to do this.

Helping the fallen to their feet or by carrying them, the group began making the journey back to the life that dwelled outside.

* * *

"They were successful, then," asked Lena as Koenma swept into the room, a look of triumph on his face.

"Very," Koenma nodded vigorously as he set down a stack of papers, shuffling through them with the speed of a card dealer. "The other human temples were relatively easy and both groups didn't meet any of Cain's men. So he didn't know about the ritual."

Besides their team, two other teams were sent to two other temples to perform the same ritual. It was a backup plan. Kurama nodded, but said grimly. "Yet, he does know now."

"What happened to the communicators," asked Yusuke as he slouched in his chair. "Why the hell was Karen and Kenji in Nikko?"

Koenma bowed his head and stared at his hands. "We were not accounting for the sudden storm this morning. We've been having them, but this morning was unsuspected – it happens this time of the year, but it knocked out communication devices."

"Since we had most of the plan on lockdown," continued Kurama, "it makes sense that the guards watching Karen would allow them to Nikko. The priestesses are allowed out – I'm sure they were following orders in the guidelines."

Koenma nodded. "My team is working on strengthening the devices. I don't want this to happen again. However, Cain must have had men about the city. He must have taught them to hide their energy."

"It was a single demon," spoke Hokushin. "I entered the warehouse and only recognized that energy."

"Yes, so does SDF." Koenma sat back in his chair. "I have them investigating the site to trace the energy, but it seems this demon is the same one that we've been tracking for a long time."

"The one that was involved in the disappearances of the women," muttered Kuwabara. He was pale and weak, but his stomach wound was healed.

"Yes, he is a mystery. I say he's one of Cain's top fighters, like Takeo."

"Takeo may have information on him, but only a little. I'm guessing Cain made them wear hooded cloaks to keep his best fighters from recognizing each other. I have no doubt that he kept them separated from each other, as well." Kurama thought this over before mumbling, "Takeo seems to know quite a bit about souls and mind manipulation. I'd even guess that he had been under Cain's mind control quite a few times himself. He'd be a great asset."

"Well, once Takeo is properly healed," stated Koenma as he scribbled away on some paper, "he'll be questioned thoroughly. He may have helped but he's going to be watched closely." Apparently, Koenma didn't think too highly of Takeo. "We still don't know much about him."

"Karen stated that Cain couldn't recognize her energy," spoke up Lena, "that was a slight advantage. She was a perfect decoy." She didn't miss the way Hiei's hands clenched from the corner of the room. "If she and Nessa had not acted, Cain would have overpowered us. That bit of energy Nessa collected damaged him."

"Couldn't we use the two energies we've collected to go after him," wondered Kuwabara. "If that was enough to weaken him, what would the other two do?"

"It's not going to be that easy." Kurama lowered his eyes. "Cain is cunning. He's going to hide while he recovers. In the meantime, I would think he'd use his men. Of course, he's going to be planning while he heals."

"That could take years, right?" muttered Yusuke.

"Maybe," voiced Lena. "The soul Cain claimed may help speed up the process. That's what kept him alive, but I think it'll be awhile before he, himself, begins attacking again."

"What's our plan, Koenma?" Yusuke crossed his arms.

"We have the Lords on our side," said Koenma. "However, we all know Demon World is a vast world. We can't even find Enki to seek his counsel."

Yusuke frowned. "He doesn't come out unless it's time for the tournament, which won't be for another year, I think."

"For now, we continue with the rituals. We don't know where Cain has vanished. He'll undoubtedly hide in the deepest parts of Demon World." Koenma addressed them.

"So we keep collecting the energy," Genkai looked over at the monitor screen. "We shut down three already in Human World. We have twelve left in this world."

"And we'll work on Demon World's temples," continued Koenma. "Demon World has a startling amount and we believe there are even more in the areas we are unable to chart. However, SDF and SWAT will be working with the priestesses, along with you guys, too," he glanced at Yusuke and them. Yusuke nodded with a steely gaze.

"We'll be splitting teams. Two priestesses per temple site, but we'll have each group travel separately to keep from attracting too much bandit activity in Demon World. Human World's temples will be handled first, then the temples on the each of the Lords' lands, and further if we need it."

"This is going to take time," Kurama peered at the group. "We were in that temple for over a day. These other temples won't be as easy either, I feel." He glanced up, "but time we have. I'm assuming we're prepare the sites in Demon World."

"Lord Mukuro is strengthening patrol near the borders and is also granting us access to roam her lands. Lord Mukuro has also agreed to lend help with any passing team, but we're on our own with the temples. As you know, we have to be wary of bandits and Mukuro is not bothering to, further, help us as she has enough to do with the agreement of safeguarding the borders. In payment for services, Hiei will be training up the increase to security of her new men and placing strategic teams along the way to any temples where help may be needed. He is also going back to guard patrol until the patrol is to Mukuro's satisfaction. Travelling will be up to us with the protection of our own people." Koenma met Hiei's eyes as he remembered the negotiations with Lord Mukuro. Koenma was surprised to get granted full access for all the guards. "That is all we can ask from Lord Mukuro."

"Likewise, Yomi is the same," continued Kurama coldly. "Yomi has even more bandit trouble. His lands are rife with them and he has his own troubles. He did grant permission to land usage and help from any of his men if they wished to help. They are stretched for the moment, I'm afraid."

"Well, my men will assist in any way." Yusuke looked at Hokushin. "Hokushin has been training them for the last three months. We're still getting temples and the plotting of them is coming slowly, but my lands are safer. Damn bandits are trouble, but who doesn't have them?"

"Yes, but it would be good to get a variety," insisted Genkai. "We don't want to hit just one area. We want to broaden ourselves to keep Cain's men working harder."

"The strongest priestesses will head to Yomi and Mukuro's lands, but Yusuke's is safe for the less powerful ones. If need be, we can send three priestesses, but I'd hate to have that many in one group should they need to travel together. Two is safer."

"Now that those are getting underway," Koenma turned to the monitor, "let's talk about Human World's temples."

The meeting continued.

* * *

The sudden darkness of the room was what made my eyelids flutter open. I stared at the wall, wondering why my table lamp had been turned off. I heard the thunder roaring outside and the splatting of the hail against the windows. Maybe the electricity went off from the intensity of the cold winter storm. I never heard thunder during a snowy storm, but the weather must be struggling to produce the necessary onslaught of snow. It was coming out as hail.

I was ready to leave the warmth of my bed and turn the lamp on when I felt someone sliding under the covers from my other side. I stiffened slightly as a warm body straddle over my side, but refrained from pressing their weight into me. Feeling the familiar heat, I rolled onto my back and stared up into Hiei's face.

"You're back," I muttered.

After leaving Spirit World, I was allowed to come back home with two guards. I was healed shortly after the temple chaos and visited with Lena for half an hour while she oversaw my healing. The rest of the team, except for Kenji, stayed behind for the meeting. That was nearly two days ago…

I was extremely lucky to be alive, having survived with a broken arm, numerous bruises, and several cuts. They were minor injuries compared to what could have happened. It didn't take long to heal my injuries. In fact, I was as good as new – sore for the next day, but now normal… except for my mind.

I was shaken and miserable. After saying goodbye to Kenji, where he needed time alone to forget the temple, too, I headed into my darkened room. It had been in the early hours of the morning when I arrived. I didn't know how to talk to Keiko, but she followed me to bed. When I climbed in, she wrapped her arms around me. I cried myself into exhaustion. She slept with me for the majority of the day.

I kept remembering the way Cain kept moving me around as if I was a doll. I was so weak. I couldn't even put up a fight against him. He broke my arm with little effort. He laughed at me while I screamed. The pain was so great, I blacked out once it became unbearable. I could still remember my arm twitching and the searing heat splitting open my skin.

Yusuke came back sometime in the afternoon and I watched TV with both of them. Somehow, with him there, I felt safer than with the two guards that hovered outside the house. When he was home, we didn't need the strangers. We all just sat in the living room until nighttime, even eating on the couch, which was forbidden. It didn't matter what we watched. They kept up a steady conversation while I clutched at Keiko's waist. I was trying to fight off the panic of everything. I was hurrying to pull myself together before Hiei arrived back from Spirit World. I didn't want to burst into tears. I could do that alone in the dark.

This time I slept alone. I assured Keiko it was fine. Eventually, I was going to have to be alone. Lena informed me that I had training in two weeks. I had two weeks before setting off for a three-month course with her to train my mind. I wasn't allowed to help with the temples…

… But was it wrong to feel grateful for that?

I don't know if I could go through all those events again. I was such a coward with the snakes. I panicked at every screaming crystal. I was scared to be trapped in a situation with Cain again.

Only, I knew I was needed.

I felt _Palei's_ missing soul. Lena had explained the grief that twisted my heart. I was wondering at the sadness. She had been my fellow priestess. She had been so young. She was gone now in darkness, because when a soul is taken – you don't go anywhere.

And here I was, feeling grateful that I wouldn't have to help with the temples.

I was a coward.

Reaching up, I hesitantly touched his face. The last time I touched his face was so long ago, in a hotel room, where he had been sleeping. Hiei hadn't liked it that time. He had pinned me to the bed in anger from the act and questioned why I was doing such a thing. I lowered my hand at the memory. Carefully, his fingers wrapped around my wrist and he raised my hand toward his cheek.

Like that time, heat crept down my entire arm. It was soothing against the cold of my fears. I wondered if this would be the only time I'd be allowed to do this gentle gesture. It most undoubtedly would be and I pinned my eyes to my hand, burning the memory into my weary mind. I had dreamt of touching his face for many months. It was like touching something forbidden, a painting one couldn't touch, that massive diamond – it was a rarity. Everything that was too rich for my plain hands.

The planes of his face were hard-cut, slightly calloused, but smooth beneath my wandering fingertips. He didn't move. He didn't blink. His face was guarded, but the red of his eyes were softly lit, like dying embers. I tried not to press too hard. I didn't want to ruin the moment, shatter this fascinating dream. My fingers lightly traced up to his eyebrow and I smoothed my index finger over the small hairs. The back of my fingers brushed along his dark bangs and it made me happy, silently overjoyed, to be allowed to touch him.

I noticed his trembling. Glancing over, I stared at his bandaged right arm that was braced to hold himself up. His hand pressed into the mattress and the lean fingers digging into the surface. I remembered the spiraling tattoo. "You're hurt," I whispered worriedly. "Why isn't it healed yet?"

"Shh," I felt him pulling my right arm up to kiss the groove of my elbow.

Staring at his clenched fist beside my head, I furrowed my brows. "No," I protested, "I'm worried –"

"I told you not to worry about me," he mumbled against my upper arm.

I sighed inwardly. He would never acknowledge pain. I've known that, it seems, from the beginning. He was hurting himself more by holding his weight up. I didn't think he was going to move away from me. He was stubborn and he never listened, but I always tried to reason with him.

"Hiei," I whispered firmly, "you need to get off that arm."

"Does your arm hurt?" he asked suddenly.

Startled at the question, I blinked. "No, I'm completely healed… not even a bruise."

Slipping his hand beneath the small of my back, he rolled until I was lying on top of him. I blushed slightly at the position and sat up, my knees on either side of his hips. Remembering what he asked, I stammered quietly, "but… we can't do that… yet."

His dry chuckle made my blush linger. "That wasn't why I was asking, little fool."

"Oh."

A silence settled as I turned to watch the lightning flash outside the house. The light peeked through my curtains. The brief flash of blue reminded me of those haunting crystals and I stared at my lamp. I never slept with it on, but it gave me some comfort to have the bit of yellow in the room. It was like a little fire to ease the nightmares that flickered whenever I closed my eyes.

I felt Hiei's body shift and the slight action made me shiver. It was odd to be responding to him now, even from that slight movement beneath me, but I wasn't ready yet. I wanted him, but not as some sort of pick-me-up from this fear. I was too afraid. I wanted my first time to be on my own terms when I was completely aware – when I was somewhat normal again.

His left hand went to my thigh and he was sitting up. I worried that he might move his hand further, because I was wearing a long t-shirt that resembled a small dress. I only liked it because it had pretty leaves on it. However, his hand didn't slip under, just kept moving over the fabric to my side. Automatically, I tilted my head up just before his lips skimmed near my throat. It was a familiar act to allow him access – ingrained into my brain. Still, I watched the lightning flashing along the ceiling. It was a piercing blue…

"You don't have to be afraid," he murmured, as if he understood, "I'm not letting you inside one of those things again."

I thought of Palei. I thought of the few priestesses. I thought of what everyone had gone through in the temple. My eyes watered, "but I have to –"

"Karen," Hiei leaned back slightly and I turned my face toward the window. "You have no responsibilities." He bit out harshly, "I'm handling everything. You are _never_ setting foot in a temple again."

It wasn't fair though, not to the priestesses risking themselves. I could feel my face crumbling with tears that I tried to shed while he was gone. I pressed my hand over my eyes to physical keep the tears from falling at the overwhelming stress of everything. A soft whimper burst free and I dug against my hot eyelids with my palm. I cursed myself for what threatened to fall.

Hiei nuzzled softly at my neck and I held myself stiffly. I wanted to sink against him, but he had always pushed away such soft intimacy. I wanted to ask to be held, but I used it up like a last ration card, wanting it when I didn't need it. His hair brushed against my skin and his lips trailed up, but for once, they weren't demanding me of anything – it was like comfort. Heated lips ghosted against my cheek, breathing feathery kisses along my skin.

I was almost crying now at how affectionate he was being toward me. It had to be a dream. I fell asleep, slept so deeply, that I found the heaven in sweet hell. I didn't want it to end, but I knew it would – tomorrow, if he was here, this would be a memory to treasure. It had always been that way. Here like sunlight and gone with the constant clouds.

Fire burns... As pretty as the flames are, if you're not careful, you will forget to breathe. Flames are not breathable, you see.

I've known this since I fell in love with him.

And I sacrificed myself as his ashes. I could only lay there and await the flames to stir should they wish to continue the fire. These flames were always constantly flickering and I knew that one day they may die.

But if I was patient, they may keep burning.

I swallowed back the lump surging up my throat as his hand rubbed a soothing circle against my side. His lips trailed toward my ear. "My little fool doesn't cry now, does she?" he whispered gently.

_Sweet torturous, God,_ I thought breathlessly. I must have suffered enough for this bliss. To keep this moment, this beautiful fantasy, I forced away the tears. It hurt to do so, but I did. He would never know all that I would do for him. I hadn't cried in front of him yet. I could hold on a little longer.

"… No," I mumbled.

Turning to him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him softly. He lowered us gently onto the mattress. I thought he was going to settle slightly away, like a few days ago, but he kept his arm around me.

I fell asleep in his arms for the first time.


	32. Goodbye Happiness

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Two: Goodbye Happiness

* * *

The day one was born was a day where families celebrated with huge cakes slathered in too sweet frosting, cheap party favors that were meant to be played with only once, and that joyous melody that everyone sang, some loud, others quiet, somehow managing to laugh while singing the lyrics. One would be sitting at the head of the table with a smile too big that it should be painful, but on such an occasion, pain didn't exist. Blow out the candles, grandfather demands, and make a wish, mother urges, but just one wish, grandmother says, only one, father reminds, and one listens, nods, then the flames disappear.

Then, comes a birthday where instead of waiting for all the gifts, one reflects, and not just about the here and now, but on everything, from those lazy days on the playground to the heart wrenching memories of sadness. Good memories were anticipated because they brought laughter at the oddest moments, like during office hours or catching a ride on a subway. The laughter becomes too much and out it comes, loud and shrilly, unstoppable and not even the expressions on people's faces saying 'now, hey, this person is insane' can stop it. Bad memories, despite how sad and terrible, were important, too. Bad memories were needed for those moments when one is faced with danger, like being robbed or getting trapped on an elevator. Instead of thinking of the good memories, it was the bad memories one thought of and somehow it lends strength, allowing one to overcome the impossible.

But, sometimes, I think one has needs for both memories to combat the deep fears that burrow in one's heart.

I was working on it.

Keiko's voice broke through my thoughts as we headed toward a house. "They're just going to be so excited!" I smiled at the way her face was lit with excitement. She seemed to be shining with joys these days, as if she had inhaled sunshine. "I can't wait to see their faces!"

"Let's hope they don't get too excited," Yusuke joked huskily, "we don't want them all getting heart attacks." His hand paused on the doorknob and he ruffled my hair, "ready?"

The first day of December was a day I had usually spent with random people at the orphanage. I would sit at the table, surrounded by faces, some new, some old, and they would be yelling and screaming in excitement. All my fellow housemates would urge me to blow out the candles on my small cupcake. Smaller cupcakes were easy to manage then splurging for the ingredients on a large cake. I always liked holding my tiny cupcake. Maria would shush them, reminding them to have some manners. She would kiss my forehead and say softly, 'make your wish'. I would nod and close my eyes, wishing for a doll or a set of crayons (which would be shared). When I was ready, I would blow out the cheap wax candles. Then, somehow, always guessing my wish, Jesse would hand me that doll or set of crayons, and he would smile sincerely.

I was meeting Keiko and Yusuke's parents today. It had been long overdue they said because of all that had happened. I don't know what story was fed to the 'grandparents', but they had been asking to see me. I was worried about meeting them. They might not like me. I might be odd looking, this young adult that Keiko and Yusuke had adopted.

A little nervous, I forced out a tiny smile. "Of course, I am."

He grinned crookedly and opened the door.

Before I could even step into Keiko's parent's restaurant, I was yanked forward against a busty chest. I could smell flowers, and strangely, pepper. The arms were strong, yet slender, and held me for a good minute. When we parted, I stared at the person. From the photographs, Keiko and Yusuke showed me, I knew she had to be Mrs. Yukimura. Keiko had her beautiful, soft eyes. I was surprised to see them shining with mirth.

"Oh, you are just so beautiful," exclaimed Mrs. Yukimura as she released me. "We've been urging Yusuke and Keiko to bring you by for a visit but – oh, never mind now," she cupped my cheeks and beamed, "you are just so sweet! Look at those lovely, blue eyes!"

I blushed and hurried to answer her heartfelt welcoming, but was distracted when Mr. Yukimura rushed past his wife. His eyes were intense and glistening with such mad exhilaration that I almost turned and hauled ass back to the car. Mr. Yukimura was too fast. He crushed me against his massive chest and squeezed with his muscular arms. I tried to hold in the grunt as he lifted me into the air, but it burst from my lips.

"I've been waiting to meet you, but you keep getting sick on us," he squeezed harder, "which explains why you're so thin!"

I wasn't thin, but he must be commenting on how scraggy I looked these past few days. I was still recovering from the constant plague of nightmares and my future. Feeling his arms tightened, I went limp. I heard when attacked by a bear, it was best to play dead against the assaults.

"Keiko, don't you cook proper meals?" He boomed over my shoulder while I steadily turned blue against his thick shoulder. "Yer' kid is sick!"

Shooting a glare at Mr. Yukimura, Keiko hissed, "dad, I know how to cook!" The words sounded as if she fought against such criticism constantly with her father.

Yusuke boomed his husky laughter when Keiko and her dad began arguing over the various topics of cooking. Mr. Yukimura randomly argued that Keiko needed to add more seasonings. Keiko responded back hotly about knowing how much to add. Personally, I thought that food tasted great with or without seasoning, but considering that Mr. Yukimura was crushing me, I would have agreed with him on just about anything. Really, I liked just about any food.

"Well," Yusuke glanced at my bluish face, "mind putting Karen down? She has delicate lungs."

I winced from Yusuke's use of the word 'delicate' (and probably from Mr. Yukimura arms). My lungs were completely healthy. I grew out of the inhaler while living in Shirakawa-go. However, this must be a cover story – working in that I was sick to explain my absence.

Mrs. Yukimura swatted at her husband and Mr. Yukimura reluctantly set me down, blaming my delicate state on Keiko's lack of using proper herbs in teas and soups. I staggered backward and discreetly turned to inhale greedily at the seasoned air. While I was recovering, a woman bounded forward and whirled me around excitedly. It was Yusuke's mom, Atsuko. She had no mercy as she pulled me against her slender frame. She smelled of slight booze and cinnamon, odd, but comforting scents.

"Karen, Karen, Karen," she chanted as she pinched both of my cheeks, "my grandkid!"

"Mom, how much did you have to drink today," Yusuke sighed out as though he asked the question frequently.

Atsuko laughed loudly and it reminded me of Yusuke's chest-shaking laughter, the kind of laughter that brings about more laughter from the audience.

"Not a lot," she answered honestly. Judging by her smell, I believed she was telling the truth.

Yusuke raised an eyebrow.

"Honest!" Atsuko repeated as she slapped at Yusuke's head to ruffle his hair. He grumbled at her and I was reminded of the way Yusuke always ruffled my hair.

I felt like the cute kitten that was passed around as Mr. Yukimura, Mrs. Yukimura, and Atsuko all vied for my attention. Mr. Yukimura showed me around his kitchen proudly, telling me about unique ways to prepare miso and whispering secret family recipes, ones that Keiko didn't know about yet. Mrs. Yukimura talked about the importance of getting an education and showed me all of Keiko's school awards. Then, she randomly started measuring me, saying she was going to prepare some winter clothes for me. Atsuko kept popping up between Keiko's parents, interrupting them and stealing me away. Ever since she asked me if I had a boyfriend, Atsuko wouldn't let up on the subject and fired questions at me like a drill sergeant.

Finally, with exasperation, Yusuke complained that he was hungry. Keiko and Yusuke's parents paused and looked at him. A second later, they looked away to return their attention to me. I smiled sheepishly from within their clutches. After a moment, Yusuke tried a different tactic and stated that I was hungry, which was true, I thought as my stomach grumbled. Immediately, Mr. Yukimura began chopping up vegetables with his hands blurring like a ninjas. Mrs. Yukimura flitted about the kitchen and pulled down pots at random.

"Here," Atsuko cooed as she held out a plate of dorayakis she had bought, as if wanting to compete by feeding me first. "Yusuke says these are your favorite."

Taking a huge dorayaki, I bit into it with a dreamy smile. This was a good comfort food. No matter how dreary the world, a dorayaki would chase it away. Atsuko was grinning with happy, eye crinkles while she tried, again, to ask about this 'boyfriend'. I never said I had a boyfriend, but my blush revealed the answer. Grinning shyly, I visited with her and answered her simple questions. She seemed to be happy to converse with me. Like Yusuke, she was an easygoing person.

They never asked about my adoption. They never asked any personal questions. They were very accepting and even called me their granddaughter. I had never received so much attention in my life and it was a breathless happiness. I listened to them. I laughed with them. I was accepted.

Dinner was fantastic, but everyone, save Keiko was a little tipsy from the rounds of sake. I was allowed some by Atsuko, who asked for my help in the kitchen. She winked and poured me a cup. Naturally, I refused, but she insisted, saying eighteen was a joyous occasion. Shrugging inwardly, I sipped my first cup of alcohol. Considering everything that had happened, it seemed okay to live a little. It was just a cup. This sake was warm and slid down my throat slowly to spread heat. Eventually, the heat went to my head. I blinked at the taste. It was… nice.

When dinner ended, Keiko turned off the lights. I was startled until Mrs. Yukimura entered the dining area while balancing a large, yellow, frosted cake. As she placed the cake in front of me, I stared down fondly as the green leaves decorating the surface. I smiled at my name in the glow of the candles.

"… An entire cake," I whispered shakily.

"Well, that's what everyone gets, don't they?" boomed Mr. Yukimura jokily.

I thought of all the tiny cupcakes in my life. I thought of all the birthdays back at the orphanage. I thought of the ever-changing kids. I thought of Maria and Jesse.

They all started singing that giddy birthday song and I stared all around me with a bursting heart of happiness. As the song was nearing the end, I began shifting through the memories of all of my seventeen years.

_What was a family?_

Yusuke was singing loudly with a red face from all the sake. His voice drowning out all the voices, but he kept his chest thrust forward in pride. Keiko laughed beside him as she tried to focus on singing the song. I watched the tears of laughter sliding down her cheeks.

_Did it matter if I got my family too late, that they were barely a few years older? _

Mr. Yukimura and Mrs. Yukimura were laughing now at Yusuke's drunken song. Yet, Atsuko dutifully kept singing with her son in a soft voice. I could barely hear her over the booming words from Yusuke.

_I think a family is just a family._

Mr. Yukimura slapped my back with gusto as the room erupted in cheers. I grinned and managed to keep my face from smashing into the cake.

"Blow out the candles," insisted Mrs. Yukimura as she took a picture.

Yusuke took a swig of his drink and said in wry amusement, "but don't heave out your lungs."

Refraining from sighing at the joke, I glanced back down at my first cake. I was almost sad to blow out the dwindling wax candles. Hearing the laughter around me, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I thanked whatever deity led me on this path to have a birthday with my family. I really thanked them because this was a blessing, which had always seemed impossible.

"Make a wish," cooed Atsuko softly. I felt her wipe away one of the tears that had escaped my noticed. I hurried to wipe my eyes.

Nodding, I closed my eyes. However, I didn't wish for anything. I merely said goodbye to my seventeen years and welcomed this new part of my life – whatever should come of it. I blew gently. _Thank you,_ I thought as I opened my eyes. This year and maybe every year, I would not make a wish because there was nothing more to wish for, not when I had a family.

"Happy eighteenth birthday, Karen," Keiko congratulated with a kiss against my cheek.

* * *

I hardly ever saw Hiei now. He was gone for five days after that night together. He left in the morning for Demon World. However, on the second day of his absence, the morning of my birthday, a SWAT guard dropped off my sketchbook. I was all smiles throughout the day as I fingered the familiar spiral of the notebook.

I recalled that hot day in Shirakawa-go where we kissed beneath the tree in blazing heat…

"You think there will be karaoke?" asked Kenji into the phone and tearing me from thoughts of Hiei.

"Why," I grinned, "planning on singing?"

This weekend was Keiko and Yusuke's wedding. I was excited. The wedding was at the last minute but they wanted to do everything before Yusuke and I left to our respective destinations. I was worried about Keiko being alone, but she refused to dwell on that sadness. Still, I asked Kenji to visit her as much as he could, to which, he said 'hell yeah – more food for me'. However, he seemed a little sad at the end.

He chuckled softly. I heard the loud music playing in his room. "Nah, you know I'm horrible at singing. I am planning on dancing my ass off though – you better be ready to dance with me."

I stared at the heels in my closet. I hardly wore heels, but Botan forbid sneakers. I didn't wear sneakers all the time. There were those few times I wore heels to school on the casual dress days. Usually I only attempted the heels when Hiei had been ignoring me – I didn't want to make a fool of myself by tripping in them. I had also attempted to wear them because they were just collecting dust, even if I only had two. But, also, I only wore them when he was ignoring me so he wouldn't see me in them. He would probably only make fun of me.

"I can't dance," I scoffed.

"Yeah," I smiled, because I could see him rolling his eyes, "don't pretend you can't bust a move now and then – everyone can. Do you remember that routine we tried, after we saw our classmate's performing it every day at school," he asked in happy recollection.

I laughed as I turned to stare out the window. "Of course I remember. I tripped and busted your lamp in a thousand pieces. Then, you stepped on some and cut your foot. We had to go to the emergency room because you needed stitches."

I shook my head at the memory. Kenji could dance. I could do a few hip sways and play off little moves just like any teenager that grew up in this decade. Everyone could dance, but hardcore dancing – that was Kenji (not that he would ever gloat about it). He even knew some ballroom dancing. He said his mother taught him when he was younger.

While Kenji laughed, I eyed the forest beyond my window. I was remembering the walk before Hiei's departure as the sun was rising in the cool, winter season.

Surprisingly, he spent the time informing me about the whole mating thing. My heart grew about two sizes when I realized he had chosen me as his mate. If I could compare it to anything, it was very similar to marriage. Yet, like marriage, it could always end. He never gave me an option for accepting, but he never allowed me those options in anything. He always kept plans to himself.

A part of me wondered if this claim was just a part of our connection. I felt like maybe he was settling because I was dangling at the end of the string. What happens when the connection is ever severed?

Sometimes, I wished I could see inside his head.

At least, I knew why he had attacked Takeo. Demons had instincts and Takeo had disrupted the claim on me. I would be careful to remember the warning he gave me. However, it wouldn't be a problem. I only ever saw him.

He never explained what he was doing in Demon World, only that he was working. I did know that after my three month training, he was going to have a month break. I smiled at the idea of an entire month with him… after I get through this long absence, that is. I would, too, because an entire month with him was my reward.

"Karen, are you ready?"

I lifted the phone away. "Sorry! I'm coming!" Returning to Kenji, I grabbed the purse Atsuko had given me for my birthday. "Call you later. Yukina's ready to leave!"

Hanging up, I rushed downstairs. Yusuke and Keiko were gone, having spent the morning together. Yukina and Kuwabara arrived at two hours ago to pick me as Yukina and I were supposed to try on some dresses with Botan. Also, Yukina had wanted to visit for a while. Secretly, I think no one wanted me to be alone, despite my reassurances that I was okay to manage on my own. I wasn't actually alone. Guards were nearby, two outside, and one in town. It would change when Yusuke or Hiei arrived home.

I debated on wearing high heels to the emergency dress shopping, so to work in the feel for wearing the shoes again. I didn't want to trip at the wedding! _Oh well_, I thought grimly. Shoes are more comfortable for clothes shopping anyways.

"Alright, let me get this," I told the couple while locking the front door.

Slipping the key in my purse, I turned to Yukina's smiling face. This close to her, I noticed that she was a half an inch taller. I hadn't noticed when I came back from Shirakawa-go. As we walked, she keeping up a light conversation, while Kuwabara escorted us to his car, I glanced discreetly down. She wasn't wearing heels. She was wearing cute, red flats.

"_He used to be smaller, very small, but about five years ago, his demon blood caused a growth spurt. He reached his people's age." … "The same thing happened to Yukina, too…"_

Strange, that I would be thinking of Koenma's words from that first conversation. Thinking over it, he had mentioned they both underwent the same growth spurt. Well, it looks like Yukina was still growing and now looming slightly over me. As long as Hiei didn't grow anymore, I could handle being the short one. Although, I wasn't short, I was average. Any normal person would agree with me.

"Kuwabara are you getting fit for a dress, too," I asked softly in amusement.

He grinned and rasped, "I'd probably look great in a dress, but I don't think they have my size." He pressed the beeper for the car, "I have to look after Urameshi. We both know he'll try to find something ridiculous to wear for the reception."

I frowned worriedly. "Oh, right." I thought of Yusuke dancing in Keiko's apron and waving pots around with a booming laugh. "Make sure there's nothing yellow or Keiko will –"

I paused in mid-sentence when I felt the familiar heat. My heart thumped wildly and I glanced down the driveway. I saw Hiei talking with one of the guards. A huge smile made its way onto my face. It was almost painful to be this happy.

A breeze flew past us and reached all the way down the driveway. I saw Hiei's hair flicker and he turned toward us. Even from this distance, I could feel that something was wrong. Hearing a choked noise, I glanced up at Kuwabara. He was horribly pale that his freckles were very noticeable. Kuwabara's normally beady eyes were enlarged with startled surprise and fear.

"I told you he wasn't going to take this too well," Kuwabara whispered anxiously to Yukina. "Yukina, he's pissed. I can't believe I let you do this," he shot her glare. I was alarmed at the loving couple. "We should have just gotten married! This was insane!"

Yukina's red eyes were narrowed and the soft irises sparkled dangerously. My mouth opened slightly at the angered gaze. I _know_ that glare. "I am a demon, too," she murmured in a light voice, "despite what happened, I do not regret my commitment."

Kuwabara bristled and he darted off to the side quickly, as if to move away from us. I blinked. That was all it took. He was gone. There was a loud crash somewhere to the side of the house and I sprinted toward the source. Reaching the noise, my eyes widened as I saw Hiei holding Kuwabara up by the front of his shirt. Kuwabara remained unmoving and was simply staring at Hiei's face with a busted lip.

"Stop this," Yukina yelled furiously, "just stop it!"

"Do you know what the hell you've just done," demanded Hiei as he threw Kuwabara toward the start of the hill. "You've killed her!" he shouted with a well-aimed kick to Kuwabara's ribcage.

I didn't know what to do in this situation. I was completely shocked at this abrupt fight. Hiei kicked Kuwabara again and the tall man went tumbling down the hill. Kuwabara wasn't even fighting back against the attacks. He was just allowing Hiei to vent out his anger with defeated eyes.

"_Kazuma_!" cried Yukina in desperation.

The anguished scream that tore from her throat made my eyes widened. The calm, beautiful woman was trembling at the scene. She seemed to be fighting the decisions flickering in her bright eyes. Yukina appeared to be torn from helping and fighting – it was all confusing.

"Karen," she turned to me with a wild look as we ran down the hill, "_please_! Please, help me!"

Unsure of what to say, I simply nodded my head. Sprinting toward the fight, I skidded the next few feet with a startled cry. I hurried to catch myself and stumbled between the two men. Yukina threw herself on top of Kuwabara with a low growl and I latched my arms around Hiei's waist. Pressing my face against his chest, I threw all my weight against him. He staggered back a few steps, but held himself upright.

"_Stay away_," ordered Yukina in a venomous voice.

"You could have just married the fucking idiot, Yukina, if that will satisfy whatever you feel for this human man, but this is irreversible!" raged Hiei over my head. He moved forward and I stumbled backwards with him. "How can you be so idiotic? You're killing yourself! You know what he does for Spirit World!"

I felt Hiei push against my hold. He was practically carrying me as he moved forward with a loud curse. I dug my shoes in and shoved him again when Yukina sobbed. "Don't," I yelled up at him. "Can't you see you're hurting Yukina?"

"He's going to hurt her," he spat dangerously. He glanced down furiously at me and waved a hand over my shoulder toward the couple. "He's killing her with his every breath!"

"Move, Yukina," Kuwabara croaked while standing to face Hiei. "I deserve this. He's right. I should have fought against it."

"No," Yukina argued, her red eyes narrowing, looking surprisingly similar to Hiei, "this is what I wanted."

"Marking a human, in that way," Hiei asked in a hard voice, "_him_, Yukina?"

"Brother, it happened in the spur of the moment, because of my instincts," began Yukina hotly, "but I do not regret –"

Hiei's eyes widened slightly, hardly noticeably, but there as a mark of surprise. He recovered quickly and argued heatedly with the beautiful woman – his sister. A look of disgust twisted his lips into a scowl and I felt his hand bunch the back of my jacket. He was angry.

I didn't start at the news, but my mouth opened slightly, like when one does when they should have realized such a thing. I even knew she had a stubborn attitude, softer than Hiei's, but obstinate all the same. She also had the glare, I had seen many times while I lived at Genkai's temple. She had sometimes been able to make her point simply with her eyes, order and demand, without words, just like Hiei. Likewise, he had treated Yukina with silent respect, but I thought he had always been that way around others in the beginning – he didn't like me then. I almost slapped my forehead. They even had the same eye color!

"_Yes, Mr. Hiei's here." _

Judging by the slight surprise in Hiei's eyes and Yukina having called Hiei that in the beginning, them being siblings wasn't supposed to be known. I would bet anything that Hiei had refrained from telling Yukina that he was her brother. Hiei had many secrets and he stubbornly kept them to himself. I wonder if the others know. Why had it been a secret anyways? They must have been lost siblings or something.

Hearing the conversation, I think I could piece together the problem between the siblings. Yukina must have claimed Kuwabara as a mate because she mentioned marking. Earlier, Hiei had stated angrily that she could have just married him. However, marks could be disrupted. Hiei had explained they could be erased and the claim would end. If that was the case, then why were they arguing so heatedly? Only, the way Yukina was saying 'spur of the moment' and 'instincts' made me believe something was different in her claim.

"I choose Kazuma," Yukina explained with desperation, "I can't live without him. This is my choice!"

"A bite mark, Yukina," Hiei jerked at my jacket, seeming to want to exact his anger on the fabric. I don't think he realized that he was holding me within his clenched fist. I was barely clutching him around the waist and was half-turned to observe this exchange. "If he dies, then so will you!"

"You considered marking Karen the same way!" Yukina's slender hands clutched at the front of Kuwabara's exposed shirt from within his jacket. She was shaking and fabric looked ready to rip away at any second.

"If I had done that, it would have killed her," hissed Hiei. "This shouldn't have happened because of instincts! Our marks are controlled decisions!"

It was as Hiei stepped closer, pulling me with him, that I saw Yukina's pupils dilate, and I paled at the red of her eyes. Memories of Takeo being pinned against the wall flashed across my eyes. Hiei explaining about his instincts made my lips part in awareness. Yukina was venomous because Hiei was approaching Kuwabara to deal more damage.

Yukina flung over Kuwabara and Hiei pushed me away roughly. I fell back onto my rear and watched the fight unfurled. However, Yukina merely fired several little shards of ice toward Hiei and he crossed his arms to block the ice. In that act, Yukina turned toward me and held her glowing hands out to send a sliver of ice in my direction. The pupils in her eyes were dilated, but she held her a guilty expression. I knew she couldn't control herself – she was retaliating against Hiei by hurting me, because he had hurt her mate.

The shard wasn't very fast and I didn't think it would do much damage with how small it was compared to the ones she fired at Hiei. I had plenty of time to duck and the ice shattered in the distance somewhere.

"Karen," yelled Kuwabara with a pale face. He wasn't calling to see if I was okay, he was calling for help to prevent anymore fighting.

My eyes widened as Hiei stalked toward Yukina with a tensed jaw. I knew he wouldn't hurt her, but Yukina was trembling with her loss of control. Kuwabara's arms wrapped around Yukina and he hauled her back while she slapped at his hands. The tall man seemed to be struggling to keep Yukina from attacking. He didn't look like he wanted to hurt her, but I decided to play it safe by holding him back to prevent more anger. Sprinting, I crashed into Hiei's side and almost knocked him over in my haste. His arm wrapped around me, but he wouldn't stop walking. I pulled back with a grunt of effort.

"Don't you ever do that," warned Hiei toward Yukina.

Yukina was crying, her tears crystallizing in midair and falling to the ground. The grass cushioned the gems as they fell in a little pile. I was in awe when they sparkled. "You made me do this!" she sobbed. "I'm not like you. I am an ice maiden and my hormones are not in control!" I was growing dizzy at all this hormone talk. "I do not regret this, not one bit! I love him!"

Hiei cursed loudly and his voice echoed in the woods behind him. I was afraid to move, unsure of what was going to happen next. Yukina remained sobbing within Kuwabara's arms. Kuwabara was staring at me with a wary expression. I understood. Please, let these instincts be done with now.

"What the hell is going on?" demanded Yusuke from the top of the hill. I almost sighed in relief at his arrival. He was jogging toward us along with Kurama. Keiko and Shizuru were making their way down more carefully.

"Yukina," asked Kurama in a soft, incredulous tone once he reached the bottom, "but that mark, it can kill a human, unless," his brows furrowed and he stared at Kuwabara, "I mean, Kuwabara's energy could have healed him from that mark."

"What mark?" Even as Yusuke asked, he promptly shut his mouth. His eyes seemed to tint eerily and his nostrils flared. Then, his eyes widened. "Hey, that's not possible," he pointed at Kuwabara.

Giving a growl, Hiei released me and headed up the hill. Yukina pulled away from Kuwabara's arms and dashed after him. I was worried, but Kurama seemed to be able to keep the calm. He was walking in between them while the siblings exchanged hushed tones. Kurama was speaking to both and trying to explain something to Hiei.

Seeing Kuwabara' busted lip, I pulled the tissue pack from my purse. I was surprised the purse didn't fly off, but I had worn it across my body. "Here," I handed him several tissues, "I-I'm sorry," I was unsure what to say. I felt like I had to apologize for the injuries.

He shook his head and pressed the tissues to his lower lip. "Nah, it was going to happen." Kuwabara looked me over guiltily. "You okay?"

I smiled and closed my purse. "She wasn't trying to hurt me." I knew she wasn't, just as I knew Takeo was not evil.

He nodded his head and turned to the group. Eyeing his sister, he frowned. "Sis, what are you doing here?"

She held up some official documents. "I found these." She said stiffly, but her eyes were rounded with sorrow. "I was going to beat your ass about getting hitched at the office with Yukina, but, well I guess that blows my wedding preparations for you guys. Congratulations, Kazuma."

"You did your seals," asked Yusuke as he patted Kuwabara on the shoulder. "I thought you guys were gonna kick it down the aisle next week?"

Kuwabara grinned tiredly. "We just wanted to get married."

They settled into a mindless conversation. I wasn't paying attention. I was staring up at the hill, but they were gone. Frowning, I started up the mound and headed toward the front of the house. My eyes widened when I saw Kurama holding Yukina against him while she cried. I felt my stomach twist at her sobs, but there was also a feeling of dread.

Where was Hiei?

Glancing past them, I saw Hiei striding down the driveway. My heart jerked painfully and I dashed past Yukina and Kurama. My purse was getting in the way and I ripped it off with annoyance. Tossing the bag to the side, I hurried in his wake.

"Hiei," I saw his hands clench into fists.

I was waiting for him to blur away, but he was only striding quickly in his agitation. I knew Yukina's mark was something dangerous, more permanent, and that it involved death somehow. That's what was bothering Hiei. Was Yukina going to die from her claim?

I had a week left before leaving to train. I had only seen him for one day. I saw him for a few hours that one day. After six months of his constant presence and now, a mere few hours was all I had with him since _everything_. He just arrived here and I knew, in my heart, that he was leaving again. I didn't even get to have one hour with him this time.

As I ran, I couldn't help but feel like he was leaving me. What if this was already the end to our relationship? What if this family issue was the cataclysm, to what was bound to happen when the fire between us ended?

Everything that had happened had aged me and I knew that he may only lust for me, because he never spoke of love. He didn't seem to believe in it.

The fever may end. I may stop being appealing to him. He may grow tire of me and leave – but I had to try for that little spark I felt was there between us. They may call me young, but I was old now. The chaos had aged me. I was thirty to my eighteen and I knew my heart. I love him. I love him so much that I was willing to hang onto this one-sided relationship, if only to experience every little blissful moment with him in the hopes he may feel a trickle of what I felt. Everyone else was in colors. He was in gray. I got the reverse end of the deal and saw only his shade – gray because his love was absent. But, there wasn't going to be anyone else for me. He was it. He was that _one_. I was one of those women that loved only once. We were the women cursed when we found our love, because they may return that love, or walk away with our hearts.

He kept walking. He was always walking away. I was always chasing him. Was he cutting me out of his life already? I thought I would have more time to prepare myself for that possible, brutal outcome. I thought I would be able to harden my heart for such an absence, so that the pathetic sadness could not overtake me. I thought I could build a little shield, protect my heart from the full force of that harsh day should it happen. I thought I could make him colorful like everyone else – I believed enough to keep trying, that despite his lust, there might be hope for his love. I know he has a heart. I know he cares. I could feel it.

"Hiei, wait," I yelled desperately.

I didn't know what I was going to do – tackle him around the waist, beg for one last kiss, utter a goodbye and say thanks for giving me a chance. However, a plea was working its way up my throat. I was going to be one of those begging women. He wouldn't like that. I felt the tears surfacing. He wasn't going to like those. I felt the plea surface, but something else came bursting from my lips… and he could hate me for the admission.

Halfway down the mile long driveway and I screamed, "_I love you_!"

He cursed but his footsteps halted.

I was crumbling at the sight of his clenched fists, but paused a few feet away. I stared at the ground and waited for him to leave.

…

…

…

Then, he blurred in front of me and jerked my face up with his good hand. When his lips slid over mine, I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to plaster myself to him. I felt heat spread throughout my skin and the sounds of trees creaking drifted away. I was back in that hotel room. I was back under that sheet. His tongue was stroking the fires and I was wondering how one can gasp, and breathe, at the same time. I'm drowning. He's killing me.

All the sensations were staggering and I went weak-knee because my feelings were finally released. I had held them in for many months. Hiding them was what allowed me to keep my senses whenever his advances went too far. I was still able to hear all the sounds of the world because I buried those words away. I was able to fight my hormones because of those three words.

When he pulled away, he pulled my wrists from around his neck and held them at my sides. He didn't let go right way. His lips rained harsh kisses against my neck, jawline, cheek, and they burned in his fury. His hand left my wrist and wrapped around my waist to pull me against him. It was like a rough hug and I inhaled shakily.

I closed my eyes when he rasped near my ear, "three months."

There was a flutter of a breeze, that ripped away the warmth, and I knew he was gone.

"I'll miss you," I whispered long after he had left.

But, with his two words, he admitted to coming back.

* * *

Sitting quietly beside Kenji, I fingered the fabric of my dress. I could hear the crowd of people talking all around us. There were some of Yusuke's friends from his young days. I think even a few demons (I saw a tall man with fiery hair and an Irish accent wearing an odd hat to cover his little horn). Keiko's friends from high school, University, and work were mingling around the outside the house. I could see the single women eyeing the men, mostly the ones I thought were demons, with flirty eyes. One guy, a big man, with a bluish Mohawk was grinning lecherously from his seat in the back. That guy was built like a wrestler!

I hadn't had time to meet Yusuke or Keiko's friends. We had a late start to the wedding. We had a late start because we were up late last night making last minute decorations to the club rented out for the reception later. Botan was a demanding boss. I hung streamers tiredly until they were to her satisfaction. The men were all at Kuwabara's house and drank too much sake. Only Kenji (because we were not twenty and allowed to drink) remained to be the muscle for any moving Botan needed down with the tables. It was exhausting.

Instead of arriving at a bridal salon, as it was common, we simply dressed at the house. I was rushing around to help the women dress Keiko. She had to have different outfits. There was the photo shoot dress, reception dress, and finally the bridal kimono. I was glad I only had one dress.

We arrived an hour late for the photo shoot. It took about two hours to get done with everyone's pictures. I was hoping to avoid the camera, but I was ushered into all the family photos: dozens of Keiko and Yusuke, dozens with Keiko's family, dozens with Yusuke's family, and dozens with various people I didn't know.

The wedding was being held outside a temple where Keiko's parents had been married. It was an outside ceremony and the Shinto priest was looking around fondly. It was exactly a contemporary Japanese wedding, as they were exchanging vows, rings, and instead of just family, a bunch of friends were attending the ceremony. However, weddings could be flexible. I had never been to a wedding before and I was excited.

It was a little chilly outside, but the cool weather was beautiful. The skies were clear and no cloud, not one winter cloud, loomed above us. I could the slight warmth of the sunlight and the feeling reminded me of another person.

Kurama was always trying to look out for everyone. He had an old soul. I supposed that was why he felt the need to inform when one was in the dark. He asked me out to lunch yesterday and he explained the bite mark versus scent mark.

A bite mark tied two people together in the most drastic way and was irreversible. If one died, the other soon followed. Even in Demon World, such claims were dying from existence in favor of scents. Bite marks were meant for those who had a strong, dominant mate. Since Yukina had placed the mark on Kuwabara, she would, eventually, die. Despite his spirit energy, Kuwabara was still human. Someday, he would grow old and die. Yukina's life was now timed with that of a human. However, if Yukina ever died for some reason, Kuwabara would continue, as he couldn't place a claim on Yukina.

My mark was not permanent. I could walk away and Kurama had warned for such a thing should I have to walk.

-Flashback-

Kurama stared at me over his clasped hands. "Lena was startled when she found out you were involved with a demon."

At the soft statement, I looked up from my half-touched meal. "Why?" However, I recalled Koenma's explanations. "I see. Demons and priestesses warred with one another. Most demons only wanted one thing from a priestess."

"Yes, but those were dark times," explained Kurama. "Times have changed. I assured her that Hiei's claim was just that, a claim."

There was a lengthy silence between us despite the bustle of the restaurant. I could see the people walking around our table. I heard loud laughter from a man to my right. I glanced over and saw a couple enjoying a meal with one another. They were leaning across the table and peering at one another with secretive smiles. A woman was arguing on the phone about being unappreciated. She was mad about being home all the time ("All you want is one thing. I'm not going to hang around if that is all you want me for!").

Kurama's words were uttered quietly, but I knew he was trying to breach into this claim Hiei had placed on me. While watching the loving couple across the room, I asked quietly. "What's on your mind?"

He gave a low chuckle and when I met his eyes, he was smiling. "You're like Kenji."

I grinned slightly, "or he's like me."

Kurama sighed and leaned forward, saying, "Karen, do you mind me being forward?" I shook my head. "I have some questions… I think that would be best to go about this."

I sipped at me soda.

"Has Hiei ever hurt you?"

"No," I answered him, making sure to keep eye contact. My words were truthful if I eliminated the 'ever' from his question. Hiei left bruises in the beginning, but I knew he felt guilty for those times. I knew Hiei was good. He had something soft in his heart. It was just buried too far from the world. I knew this, because it was like my feelings with Hokushin and Takeo.

If Kurama questioned my answer, he didn't show it. Unabashedly, he asked, "has he pressured you?"

I remembered the night where I had taken my shirt off, but I heard our conversation in my head when he said he would wait. He had even refrained from moving his hand up my shirt that last night. It was all I had on, but he simply rubbed my side over the fabric. We slept after that and there was nothing more.

My eyes softened, "no, he hasn't."

"You love him," Kurama stated, not as a question, but as an observation.

Lifting my chin, I answered firmly, anyways, "yes, I'm _in_ love with him."

"I don't mean to pry, Karen," he said with gentle expression at my declaration, "but I'm only inquiring because I care about you."

Staring into Kurama's eyes, I saw the sincerity in the light emeralds. He meant the admission as a good friend. It was not admittance for _caring_ for me. We were friends. We belonged to the same, odd group of people we called family. Kurama had always been nice to me.

And he was warning me.

"I don't want to see you get hurt," he murmured. "I know I can speak for the others, too."

I lowered my eyes. I watched the drops of water sliding down the sides of my glass to pool at the bottom in the heat of the room.

"I want to say I know Hiei, but he is still a mystery, even after all the years that I have known him. Yet, in the time since we've met, I do know you enough to know that eventually you may get hurt." The noises faded and I could only hear Kurama's smooth voice. "Despite how much one tries to hide the pain of one's heart, it surges forth – such feelings that are not returned can be devastating."

"You think he'll end his claim," I murmured.

"No." I looked up beneath my lashes in curiosity. He didn't elaborate on his answer. Instead, he said gently. "Karen, you have such a gentle heart." He pinned me with an honest gaze, "… if he can't give you want you need, know when to walk away."

I didn't know what to say. I stared at my hand beside my soda. A second later and Kurama covered my hand. He squeezed gently and I was reminded of the gesture from when we first met. I smiled at the act of comfort and kindness.

"If you ever need to talk," he smiled softly, "don't be afraid to seek me as a confidante. I listen while others act."

-End of Flashback-

My feelings for Hiei were true. I heard the advice, the warning, but I would continue to trust in my relationship with Hiei. I know he may never love me, but he cared. I'd fight for that reason. I had given my heart to him. As long as he cared… that's all I want. I can love enough for the both of us.

There was a nudge on my arm and I glanced up at Kenji. Before I could ask what, I saw movement from the corner of my eye. We were standing and I turned to regard Yusuke walking with Keiko down the aisle of the guests. There were no flower girls or ring bearers. It was just them.

Keiko was radiant in the white bridal kimono. The white hood of the attire framed her blushing cheeks and the sparkle of her brown eyes. I admired the designs embroidered at the bottom of the kimono and the way the folds were draped, added elegance. I had never seen Yusuke in anything but t-shirts, jeans, and once, a sport coat, but this new attire was handsome. The formal, black kimono bore a crest against the front and made him appear serious and mature. His hair was swept back, like usual, but there was no cocky grin. His eyes were on Keiko as they walked. They burned quietly.

I was listening to the priest. I heard the vows. I was crying quietly beside Kenji and he was wiping at a tear dribbling from his left eye. Keiko's eyes were sparkling with tears and love, the kind of love that smoldered forever. Yusuke was gazing down at Keiko with a fire that reflected her love. I watched them exchange rings and my heart soared at being able to know these two – to see this love.

Keiko and Yusuke sipped sake from a shared ceramic cup.

It was so beautiful.

At the booked club, I mingled with many people. Atsuko was snapping pictures with a beaming smile and fluttering around the room (I think she had one too many). I talked with Mrs. Yukimura for a good half hour and she kept trying to make me eat a third plate of food. I danced with Mr. Yukimura (he spun me too hard and I almost fell), Yusuke (he stepped on my left foot three times), Keiko (she was humming to the song), and the rest of my family.

The DJ was now pouring out the dance music and lights were flashing in the darkened room. I hid from the dance floor and found a quiet place to rest. Sipping from my punch, I smiled when Genkai joined my table.

"Hiding," she smiled, "should have warned you that the dimwit has two left feet."

I laughed around my cup, "yeah, and he says I'm clumsy."

She chuckled dryly and watched the people around us. I saw Kuwabara doing some disco moves while Yukina swayed in front of him. Throughout the past two days, I saw the guilt in their eyes. Kurama never explained why Yukina felt the need to claim Kuwabara with a bite mark, but it wasn't my business to ask about it. It was their affair. However, I felt like Yukina was trying to approach me several times. I was worried what she would ask, but before she could draw near Botan was pummeling past her to demand something else for the reception.

"How are you feeling about the upcoming training," asked Genkai, disrupting my view on the couple.

"I'm a little nervous," I answered with a small grin, "but I'm going to try my best."

Genkai smirked, "well, Urameshi, that's the answer Lena would want to hear." She sipped from her drink and stood with a raised eyebrow. "Some advice, Karen," she turned away, "bring those gloves I sent you on your birthday. Trust me. You'll thank me after the first week."

I watched her walk away with a frown. She had given me these black, fingerless gloves for my birthday and I wondered at the hand attire. I didn't see why I would need gloves to train my mind. I'd bring them with me, anyways.

As the popular song "Kiss Your Mind" by Kis-My's-Ft2 ended, (I thought it was catchy with the chu-chu-chu part) I recognized the next song. It was "Telephone" by Lady Gaga. I smiled at the dance remix and watched some of Keiko's friends swaying wildly with the single men.

"Uh oh," came a mischievous voice in my ear. "You hear that?"

"No, Kenji," I answered before he could ask.

"It's my jam," he said jokily.

"Nope," I protested calmly.

Grabbing my hand, Kenji whipped me out of the chair and dragged me into the crowd. I crossed my arms and held a hand to my forehead when Kenji whirled around before me with a grin. I started laughing as he shook his behind goofily. Still, I wouldn't budge. When the chorus came, he winked and threw himself back into a one-handed flip. Twisting, he shuffled his feet expertly into an easy routine and moved fluidly around me. Somewhere in the middle of the song, he grabbed at one of my hands and spun me toward him until my back was to his chest. Swaying me with him, he guided me against his body with a playful laugh. I couldn't help but laugh with him as the lights flashed around us.

After an hour, karaoke began and people were singing their hearts out to the crowd. When Yusuke waltzed up to the stage (drunk), he began belting out in that booming voice. I don't know what he was trying to sing, but he danced with it horribly. Kenji cat-whistled and I cheered him on with a raised fist. As the song ended, Yusuke disappeared for a second. He emerged soon with Keiko in tow. I was breathless with laughter at the scene. She was blushing madly and trying to spin away from his arm around her waist.

"Karen," yelled Yusuke when he reached the middle of the little stage. My laughter ended and I paled at my name. "KAREN! Where's that lovely kid?"

Ducking my eyes, I eased away from the stage to blend in with the back of the crowd. I saw Kenji move, but I shot him a 'don't you dare' glare. Sniggering, Kenji allowed me to disappear. He was in an extremely good mood since he managed to get this woman's number (our dancing caught her attention and we were quick to realize this by dancing closer to her – it was our routine now). I think he had a thing for older women, but she also had Kenji's favorite trait – long legs.

I was discreetly nearing the darkness of the back of the room when an arm wrapped around my shoulder and I smelled Yusuke's familiar cologne. People were laughing at my attempt to escape and surrendering, I allowed Yusuke to drag me onto the stage. I hoped we weren't doing some family band thing. I would be horrified to be handed the microphone. I'd probably do something embarrassing, like burp into the microphone.

"There, my family," slurred Yusuke slightly as he waved a hand over us. "Now," he said with surprising seriousness (his face was red). "I have something to a-announce."

_As long as it wasn't more singing_, I thought while fidgeting on the stage. At Yusuke's words, Keiko blushed and pure joy danced in her eyes.

"WE'RE EXPECTING ANOTHER URAMESHI!"

My jaw practically dropped at the news as I turned to face Keiko. "A baby," I asked softly.

She nodded at me with a wide smile and tears rolled down her cheeks. Seeing the happiness in her eyes, I wrapped my arms around her and laughed into her hair. Yusuke boomed out his boisterous laughter amid the cheers. Dropping the mike, Yusuke joined us in a group hug. I cried with Keiko and Yusuke burped over our heads. We were shuffling awkwardly in the spotlight and joyous cries.

* * *

It was the last night before my departure. Tomorrow, early in the morning, I would leave by train with an SDF to Genkai's second temple. It was one of her older temples and was far out in the country. I heard that the nearest town was several hours away.

Schools were reopening again, but I did not attend enrollment this week. Keiko wanted me to reconsider school when I was done with training, but I would have to wait again for the next available term. I didn't want to be this old student in school. However, she did make me promise that I would do some studying when I arrived home – it would make her feel better.

Kenji was slightly glum at the news. However, he didn't say anything about my reluctance to enroll. We never even talked about the temple. We avoided the topic and moved on with the present. I knew he was suffering from that chaotic mess, but whereas I seemed sad, he appeared, strangely, determined. I couldn't explain the expression in his eyes whenever he thought I wasn't looking. But, we were still best friends. We still laughed. We watched marathons. We went to one last movie. We said our parting and I asked him to avoid seeing me off tomorrow. It would make it harder for me to leave on the train if I saw his lazy grin.

Glancing out the window, I stared up at the moon.

I made one last argument, musings, really, about wanting to help with the temples. Sadly, Yusuke did agree with Hiei, as Koenma had said in his office. He didn't believe I had any powers. He said it would be better if I stayed behind, that I would be safe, and that, despite my protests, I would have added guards when Hiei and Yusuke were gone. It wasn't fair, but I felt exhausted to give my opinion.

Fatigued from everything, I slid under my covers. My mind was always weary at night, but I forced myself to close my eyes. I thought of Hiei. I wondered if he was thinking of me, too. I thought of Hiei to keep the nightmares at bay. Nightmares of wandering the temple alone, seeing Cain tear my arm free with a laugh, Hiei lowering me into the pit of snakes and leaving me… to stay forever while he walked away.

I burrowed under the blankets.

Three months was a long time, but I would be strong in this absence. For now, I had to force Hiei's handsome face from my life in order to get through these next few months. I had to focus now.


	33. The Change

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Change

* * *

"Yukina," crooned Kuwabara as he parked the car and turned to look at his wife. "I know you insist and everything but," Kuwabara covered her hands with one palm, "I don't think she hates you, I really don't, Karen's just not the type."

Yukina stared up at him earnestly, "I know she doesn't hate me."

"Then why today," Kuwabara frowned, his small eyes darting to the side. "Urameshi says she hasn't been too well since the...since the incident a few weeks ago and maybe we shouldn't be here today," he hurried on as Yukina's perfect eyebrows furrowed, "she hardly talks anymore. That accident really shook something up."

"She's brave," Yukina bit her tongue as the words came out a little harsher than she intended. "She's very brave," she tried again, this time softer, "brave enough to handle anything, even what happened a few weeks ago. Don't make her sound like she can't manage any affair."

Kuwabara seemed confused as he released his wife's hands. "I wasn't saying she isn't brave. She is –"

"The way you and Yusuke talk, like when we invited them over for dinner the other night," she lowered her eyes, "Yusuke kept mentioning needing added guards for when she comes back, because she's the weakest one." Yukina grew somewhat irritated as she remembered their night with the Urameshis. "She was sitting right there." She turned in her seat to glare up at her husband the way a wife a does whenever she wants to put her husband on the spot, "how do you think she felt? Did you guys ever ask her about how she felt about extra guards?"

"Urameshi," began Kuwabara hesitantly as he searched for the right words, "h-he's just worried. You know how he is, Kina, and well, added guards wouldn't be so bad. She just can't protect herself as well as the other priestesses and besides, Hiei wants them too, for when he's not around."

Overwhelming sadness and guilt filled her as Kazuma mentioned Hiei not being around. Hiei wasn't around because of her and all because she claimed her mate with a bite mark, sealing her fate with that of a human. She had never planned to leave the bite mark, because it could have killed Kazuma. She was going to use a scent claim, but her body disagreed.

Yukina should have had a baby six years ago, but the human air changed her, and falling in love with Kazuma halted the process. She had met her life mate, which explained the flame between them. When they finally mated, her instincts, raging for a baby, loving for her mate, spurred her into leaving the mark. No one ever accounted for such a thing to happen. Ice koorimes were not supposed to find a mate. Koenma, when he had spoken to her, surmised that that may be the very reason ice koorimes were isolated, so that they may avoid making claims to demon males and creating a race of fire demons. Yukina's instincts were uncontrollable compared to the controllable decisions of demons, of her brother.

Instincts were strong, but not that strong. They could be controlled, except for her, the ice koorime that left her home without the full knowledge of what should happen should she find a life mate. Hina, her mother, had not found a mate, but she fell in love and birth twins. Yukina thought the same would happen to her when she found love, too, but she found a mate. Her brother wasn't an ice koorime. He was a fire demon born from an ice koorime. He had control over his instincts. He could make the sound decisions that she could not – and he was angered that she had committed a drastic mark.

She was terrified after she had placed the mark. Yukina had been sobbing as Kazuma clutched at his neck with a pained cry. However, his spirit energy automatically began healing the wound and she hurried to help with her own energy. What if he was a plain human and she without healing powers to help him – what would she have done?

The damage was done… but she didn't regret the mark. She was guilty for hurting Kazuma, but he wasn't angry. He was terrified that she was bound to him. They had had to talk to Koenma and she had been a mess in the office. She cried until the ogres had to sweep up the hirui stones at her feet as they piled up into peaks. She kept thinking of the outcome of almost killing Kuwabara with her bite. If she had, she would have never forgiven herself for her actions, uncontrollable be damned.

Kazuma was remaining home with her for two months to allow her to adjust to her claim before setting off to help escort the priestess teams. Koenma was stressed should Kazuma die, as it would affect her and her brother. Hiei pulled a lot of weight with Mukuro. She was Hiei's twin sister. Yukina feared what may happen to Kazuma, but she believed in him. He was strong, stronger than others believed. If he should fall, she would join him with no regrets.

The bite happened accidently, but she loved him more than her own life. She would follow him in death because without him would kill her anyways.

Now, her brother was gone to calm the hurt she had done to him. It hurt her to know she chased him away, not from herself, as she could handle the pain, but because she separated him from Karen. She saw the sadness in Karen's eyes when she came back to the house. Yukina cried more, knowing they hadn't had time to spend with one another because of her actions. She had even tried to hurt Karen, but she had a measure of control to halt the shard she sent. Yukina knew Karen didn't hate her for her actions, but she felt the need to apologize to her friend.

She loved Karen. The young woman saw the same thing she saw in her brother – that sliver of light residing in him that he had hid from the world. Over the past few years, he had been withdrawing from life. She saw the added hardness to his eyes. She prayed for there to be someone brave enough to fight him, make him see that he had a purpose again. She didn't know if Karen was strong enough for her brother, because he was more aloof than when she had met him. However, she knew Karen had a strong heart, strong enough that she may be able to make him _see_. Yukina only hoped her brother would not chase away the young woman. _Brother, let your heart breathe,_ she thought.

Kuwabara slipped a finger beneath her chin and turned her to face him. Yukina stared up into his gentle face, finding comfort in the small smile he was giving her. "He'll be back," Kuwabara assured as he did every night since the argument with her brother. "He will." He had even chanted the same phrases after Hiei had left him with the black eye and bruises.

Seeing the honest goodness shining within her husband's eyes, Yukina couldn't help herself as she reached up to cup his face, bringing him closer to kiss him softly. She was lucky, extremely so, to have Kazuma Kuwabara as a husband and mate.

Leaving the car, it was rather easy, despite the overwhelming crowd, to make their way through the busy outside holding area of the train station. Kuwabara's large frame shielded Yukina from the crowd, keeping her safe from pointy elbows and the eager shoes waiting to crush her feet. Up ahead, Yukina saw Yusuke, his arm around Keiko's waist, while he talked with a very tall, russet skinned man. Nearby, Karen was leaning against the guardrails and looking down at the train tracks.

Hardly taking her eyes off of Karen, Yukina exchanged a few words with Yusuke and Keiko before excusing herself to see Karen. As she approached Karen, Yukina took note of the heavy sadness hovering around her friend and the guilt clawed at Yukina.

Karen seemed pensive, appearing not to notice the voices buzzing around the station or the whistles of approaching trains. She was somewhere else, lost in thought. She was suffering. Tear stricken, Keiko explained to Yukina that it had happened ever since the temple incident. She cried that Karen hardly talked to her, that she knew Karen was having trouble sleeping, and the she worried for her adoptive daughter. Yukina felt even guiltier, knowing she had added more to Karen's suffering by driving the young woman's mate away.

"Hello, Karen," greeted Yukina as she came to stand beside the young woman.

Karen looked startled as she straightened against the rails. Eyeing Yukina, she hurriedly put on a half-hearted smile, "Yukina, how are you? I didn't know you were...coming today."

"I wanted to wish you a safe trip," answered Yukina as she raised her eyes to stare up at Karen, but Karen averted her eyes.

Karen laughed quietly, seeming only to do so to please Yukina, "thank you, but you didn't have to come."

Yukina rested her hands on top of the rails and stared up at the sky. She felt the slight breeze above and closed her eyes in grief. The words blurted out in a rush, needing to be expressed, "I'm sorry."

"Please, don't apologize."

"But I am," Yukina insisted, "I would never hurt you." She turned toward Karen and reached for the young woman's hand. Holding her hand softly, Yukina murmured, "Karen, you're my friend. I –"

Lifting her eyes, Karen smiled at her kindly. "I know it was instincts. If you wanted to, you could have hurt me, but you controlled yourself enough to try to fight your anger. I know you wouldn't hurt me, Yukina, so there's nothing to apologize for, okay?"

"Yes, but there is also Hiei," Yukina eyed the ground, "he left because of me. You two didn't get to have any time together."

"He's coming back," answered Karen firmly. "He just needs time."

…

…

…

"You won't take my apology, will you?" asked the small ice demon when they had grown silent. Yukina should have known that Karen never planned on accepting her words.

"No," answered Karen, that same forced smile on her face.

"Then, I also won't accept this back." Reaching into a fold of her kimono, Yukina pulled out the necklace she had planned on giving Karen weeks ago.

Eyeing the necklace, Karen stared at the small glimmering gem. It looked like one of the tears Yukina had cried when her brother had left.

"My mother gave this to me," explained Yukina softly. "My people are all women and when our time comes to give birth, we only give birth to a baby girl, but my mother, she defied the sacred laws and mated with a man." Yukina eyes glazed over as she recounted her past. "At the time of our birth, we shed a tear, a special tear that is different from the other hirui stones, but because my mother mated with a man, she gave birth to twins and so she shed two tears, one for each of us."

Smiling, Yukina reached for Karen's hand to drop the sacred tear into the young woman's palm. Karen held the stone as if it would break at any moment.

"It's beautiful," awed Karen.

Karen seemed enthralled by the story as she leaned back against the rails while admiring the necklace. It made Yukina happy to share her family's history with her brother's mate. Sighing, Yukina decided to reveal a little more of the story. It may help Karen be stronger to battle her brother's silent ways.

"I realize Hiei hasn't shared his past with you, but you should know it," Yukina reached for Karen's hand as the woman made to disagree. "No, you need to know. My people, us women, are not allowed to mate with men as we are cursed with a boy child, a demon born of fire, like my brother. It need not matter what type of demon our father was, Hiei was always going to be of fire." Yukina's eyes darkened at the memory. "Hiei, as my people think of him, is the cursed child of fire. He was cast away from our floating island and the act killed my mother."

Karen was admiring the necklace with a solemn expression. Yukina eyed the stone, "I grew up having to hear of the elders talk of my mother's evil act and of my 'cursed' brother, but I never believed it. My mother loved us, and when I was old enough, I left my village to find Hiei. Even though I had never known him, I knew he was alive.

"… and you ended up in Human World."

"Yes, and I found my brother and met all of my friends, Kazuma...and you."

Feeling no sense of loss for the trinket, Yukina folded Karen's fingers over the necklace. She suddenly felt elated, as if this was something her mother would have wanted, to share this gift with her brother's mate.

"I want you to have it."

Immediately, Karen shook her head and held out the necklace. "No, I'm sorry, but I can't accept this. It belonged to your mother." Karen moved forward to hand the necklace back but Yukina stepped away with a bright smile. "Please, Yukina, you should be giving this to Kuwabara or your children!"

"It doesn't feel right to give to Kazuma. I've explained this to him and he agreed with my reasoning," she blushed prettily. "As for my children, I shall produce special tears for them when they are born and I will love them as my mother loved us."

"Yukina," whispered Karen in a last protest.

Taking the necklace, Yukina slipped it over the slightly, shorter woman. "This is actually my brother's necklace." Karen's lips parted a little at the news. "He didn't think I would realize he switched our stones when he returned mine. The demon energy died from the stone six years ago, but it is still special." She lowered her eyes and stared at the necklace against Karen's chest. "Hiei hasn't worn the necklace, or mine, for years now."

If Karen was curious as to why Hiei didn't wear the necklace, she didn't ask. Staring proudly at her mother's tear glittering from where it rested, Yukina pulled Karen against her into a warm hug. "Don't give up."

* * *

Takeo whistled as he held his bound hands out to the guard releasing him from the glowing cuff. Off to the side, Yusuke chuckled as the guard waved his hands and the glowing cuffs disappeared. Free, Takeo happily saluted the guard with a crooked grin.

"Man, it feels good to be free," proclaimed Takeo cheerily.

Yusuke walked with Takeo when they set off down the hallway. "Did they treat you alright? Koenma says you've been questioned kind of heavily."

Takeo rubbed his wrists, thinking glumly of his imprisonment. "They were fine enough. I didn't expect to just breeze by without a second glance. I knew what was in store once I decided to join the good side. However, those tests," Takeo's eyes darkened and he shook his head, "were horrible. It felt like every inch of my body and mind was being dissected."

Yusuke cringed. "It was those tests testing to see if you were being controlled, right?" Takeo nodded with a grimace. "Yeah, I heard those were a pain in the ass."

Takeo snorted as they stopped before an elevator. "Pain in the ass is an understatement. Try undergoing those tests for a few weeks."

Yusuke showed a card and a guard nodded before punching in a few numbers into the keypad along the wall. The elevator doors opened and the men headed inside. Yusuke settled back against a wall and the doors inched together.

"Why did you join Cain in the first place?" Yusuke stared pointedly at Takeo. "You don't seem like the evil type of demon."

Takeo's face darkened. "I wouldn't say I'm not evil. I've done my share of dark deeds."

Yusuke frowned as he noticed Takeo's face darkening. The half-breed was contemplating his past and Yusuke waited patiently.

"I'm guessing you haven't been informed of my story, have you?" asked Takeo, his bangs hiding his eyes.

Yusuke crossed his arms and said, "I wanted to hear it from you personally."

"Well, I was like any demon really, just wanted to be strong and rule," Takeo waved his hand, "or something along those lines." He stared thoughtfully up at the elevator ceiling. "I stumbled across Cain by accident. Cain wasn't as strong as he was now, but he was still something to behold, even in his weakened state." Takeo closed his eyes and voiced painfully, "all I remember from that fateful day was staring into his eyes and then I awakened, weeks later, standing before a human village in Demon World." Takeo was staring at the ground, his face dark and voice tight. "The village was burnt to the ground. Cain had acted through me."

"You were brainwash?"

"Cain can possess, brainwash, and control both mind and body, but only if the one being control wants nothing more than darkness and power. He was trying to use it on Hiei, you know."

"Yeah, Hiei already mentioned that," mumbled Yusuke. "Lucky for us, he grew out of that phase. At least we know the extent of Cain's mind control."

Yusuke glanced at the flashing numbers that indicated the floors they were zooming past. They still had a way to go to reach their destination.

Takeo eyed Yusuke, "I eventually fought against Cain's control to regain some semblance of my mind. I guess it impressed him and he made me an offer to join him." Takeo sighed as his voice lowered. "So, I stayed as it seemed like the best thing to do, given that he had grown stronger. Go with the power and you shall gain power." Takeo's eyes glinted with some sort of emotion as he went on, "but then Cain captured that priestess and he tortured her for weeks...I never felt right about taking a human life. I assume it is because I'm part human."

"Is that why you sided with us," asked Yusuke. "Or because Karen saved you?"

"They both saved me." Takeo slipped his hands in his pockets. "Palei trusted me. She saw something in me that was good. I felt good again. The same with Karen," he grinned then, "beautiful woman."

"Yeah, well, you know she's taken," Yusuke crossed her arms.

"Oh, I know," sang Takeo, "but I couldn't help toe the line for fun. I admire her. I am not smitten with the beautiful woman. I owe her my life and want only her friendship. I respect her," he pouted and his eyebrows furrowed, "but her mate is mean."

Yusuke laughed at the expression on Takeo's face. "Ah, that's what you get for 'toeing the line'. You should know better than to put your energy on her."

Takeo shrugged. "I just wanted to see how strong the claim was on her. I was only being curious, you know, having fun." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "I love women. I never got to talk to the priestess Valon, but she's kind of feisty." Grinning devilishly, Takeo said, slyly, "Hokushin came and paid me a visit down in the dungeons. He explained that your wife was a sight to behold." Takeo's words were murmured slowly to tease Yusuke, "I mean, that smile in her picture –"

Yusuke curled his fists and the knuckles popped menacingly. "What –"

"Joking," Takeo held up his hands, "Hokushin did no such thing but he does seem to admire your wife and family."

After a moment, Yusuke settled back against the wall where he inspected his knuckles, somewhat smug as he said, "yeah, I know I'm lucky."

The elevator doors binged open and they both stared at each other, a moment of deep trust and new friendship passing between them.

"So you'll fight with us to the end," asked Yusuke as he held a hand out.

Takeo's eyes hardened as he thought of little Palei and Karen's bravery. Grasping Yusuke's hand, Takeo smiled dangerously.

"Until that bastard is dead or I'll die trying."

* * *

The train ride was long, devastatingly long, but not to the point of boredom, more of an observation. I didn't mind sitting for hours, watching the changing scenery as the train sped forward. For hours, I thought of nothing and simply surveyed cities flickering by in a blur. After a while, the cities disappeared and villages appeared. After that, there was nothing, but withering trees, that held brief snow along the peaks.

My companion, a tall man with russet skin and dark shades covering his eyes sat across from me in the small booth. His black hair was cut short into a crew cut, but the hair was thick. He spoke only once to reveal his name, Jet, in a voice so deep, even whispering one would be able to hear him across a large room. He was built like a soldier, muscles bulging out of his black tee. He _acted_ like a soldier, the way he sat without moving. His body seemed to be alert for any sign of danger.

I didn't bother Jet by questioning him incessantly, although I did want to ask why he was wearing shades in a lighted up train. However, it wasn't any of my business. I was determined to leave him alone until lunchtime approached. I found the bento boxes Keiko had made and I offered him one. For a long time, I held the box out to him. He made no move to take the lunch, seeming determined to remain in his seat like the perfect guard.

For all I know, he could be asleep beneath the glasses, as he sat frozen in place, but I cleared my throat anyways, "My mother made you a lunch." I assumed it was Jet's lunch because the box was much larger than the other bento box.

Jet's head twitched a tiny bit in my direction, but other than that, he made no other attempt to take the box. I set the lunch on the little, foldout table before us. Feeling as if I needed to try harder to make the offer, I tried for another tactic. "It would be a shame to let it go to waste." With that, I unsnapped my chopsticks and began shuffling through the contents of my lunch.

Keiko's meals was good, was always good. They were richer in flavors, more so, than the meals I had created. Even the aroma was thick and savory, which was probably what, brought Jet around as he reached for the lunch I set aside. I didn't say anything, but he nodded his head in gratitude. Eating in silence, even with a stranger, was comforting, and allowed me to think of home.

With lunch long gone, I went back to staring silently out the window. After a while, my butt tingling with painful pricks from sitting too long was the perfect sign for realizing that we had finally made our destination. I grateful stood up along with Jet, spending a minute just stretching, before grabbing my backpack and heading off the train.

Outside, the train had stopped at an old wooden train station. The station was small and faded. The sign in the front was no longer readable, and the owner, a tiny old man, was swaying away in a rocking chair on the front porch. Other than the station, train, tracks, barren trees, and two dirt roads, nothing else existed. The sound of the train's whistle rang in the air and soon, the train left, speeding away into the distance. I stared after the locomotive sadly.

"Karen," Jet called hesitantly in his deep voice.

Jet was standing near the left road, holding my suitcases, one large and one small, and waiting for me to follow him. Reaching up, I grabbed the necklace, Hiei's necklace, and absorbed some sort of strength as I watched the train fade away completely. Finally, I turned and trailed after Jet while he led the way with a calm pace.

Spirit World was holding back on portal uses, as they were draining to create, and the guards were being used completely as it is. I didn't mind. Travelling by portal created a nasty feeling.

Jet could probably reach the temple in a matter of minutes, but he remained dutifully at my side He was quiet like a rock – rocks probably talked more than he did. It was a long walk, maybe a little over an hour, before we reached a set of stairs. Jet's patience was truly tested then, as I struggled after him up the half-mile long stairs. I didn't know if they would ever end, but eventually they did and who better to greet us at the top but Genkai, a frown marring her aged face.

"You're late," snipped Genkai as she stared at us with indifferent eyes.

Jet calmly answered in his resonant voice. "The train was delayed at a few stops."

Seeming uncaring for the explanation, Genkai merely nodded, "fine," then she turned to me, "I'll show you to your room." With that, Genkai entered the temple, leaving me alone with Jet once again.

I reached for my suitcases, "thank you, Jet, but I can carry it now."

Nodding, Jet handed the cases over, bowed his head, and then disappeared around the temple without a word. I stood there for a minute, simply staring up at the huge double doors. Vaguely, I was reminded of the past. There was the long set of stairs behind me and two doors before me while Hiei was forcing me inside after he had hunted me down in Tokyo… Sadly, as abrupt as the images of Hiei appeared, I forced them away to head inside.

The huge door shut with a deafening boom, seeming ominous in the quiet temple as it echoed. Inside, Genkai was waiting for me with a stoic expression with her hands clasped behind her back. She continued to gaze up at me, eyes never wavering. She was staring at me as if she was waiting for me to do something, but the only thing I did was avert my eyes, as her gaze grew uncomfortable.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Genkai clucked. "We have a lot of work to do."

I didn't question Genkai. I actually didn't have a lot to say these days and was only determined to do as I was told, because it seemed as if that was what everyone wanted.

"I told Yusuke and Hiei that I would supervise you. They probably assume I mean to watch over you when Lena is away, but that is not the case." She walked swiftly down a hallway. "What they don't know is that I will be training you to defend yourself."

"Defend?" I asked softly, struggling to keep up with her as I toted my luggage.

"If you wish to speak, you shouldn't mumble." Genkai glanced sideways at me. "I'm an old woman now, you have to speak up."

I didn't say anything, choosing to stay quiet, but also pondering why she seemed to be crossed with me. I had spoken to Genkai on a number of occasions and we had hit it off well. Was it something I did?

"Defense," she continued. "If there is one thing I can't stand, it's the look of fear in a woman's eyes." She stopped suddenly and glanced up at me expectantly. "This will be good for you and what I teach you will aid you for when you travel to a temple."

I wasn't sure what gave me away, but Genkai seemed to sense that I was close to saying something before shying away. "Objections, Urameshi?"

"You act as if I will be allowed in any temple."

"Why shouldn't I act as such?"

I reflected back to the few weeks of listening to Yusuke and Hiei make guard plans for me while they were away. "Hiei and Yusuke won't let me." I stared at the ground. "I'd probably get in the way."

Genkai grunted, not like Hiei, but like a cranky, old, feminist woman, "well, while you are here, we will assume you are to be given a temple." She set off again, eyes faced forward.

I noticed a lot of empty rooms, not as if they had been empty for years, but as if they had been recently abandoned. The doors were open and I tried to get a good look inside, but Genkai was already turning again. I hurried after the tiny woman. Finally, Genkai stopped before a room and stared up at me, again assessing me with those flinty eyes. This time, I held her gaze.

"You'll be training with two teachers." She spoke sharply and I straightened my shoulders, feeling like she was lecturing me in some sort of boot camp. "When Lena isn't here, I will train you, and when she is, I will still train you." She leered at me. "You and I are about to become close _friends_."

For some reason, I felt wary, because I don't think we were going to be friends, at least not in the normal way. It almost sounded like a warning.

"As you might have noticed, hardly anyone is here." She indicated to the empty rooms that we had passed, resuming, "many of the priestesses are gone, some on vacation and some in Human World to take care of the temples. There are a few priestesses here, but they are off doing their own things, meditating and such, but you're behind, very behind, and not very strong," she raked a critical eye over me and my self-esteem fell, hitting bottom, but it didn't hurt because it didn't have a long ways to fall.

"You're dead weak and you're definitely not a fighter, but that doesn't mean you can't learn to defend yourself." Genkai's voice was sharp and commanding, cutting to the bone. "I won't teach you to fight but I can teach you to stay alive."

Genkai led me into the room, her voice no longer cold, but informative. "There are no phone lines out here so your cell won't work. However, if you write a letter, Jet will see to it that it is delivered. He is your official guard and will assist in training as well as protecting, so get used to him."

The room was simple, like my room at her other temple in Tokyo. There was two of everything: futons, desks, bookshelves, and wardrobes. The room was split evenly, with one side already occupied. I noticed a few pictures up on the right side of the room and a couple of posters.

"The kitchen is free to use, but Koenma has provided a cook." I set my stuff down on my side of the room as she continued speaking. "I'll allow you free time and you may do as you please. There is a beach nearby and you may roam around in the surrounding forest. You're safe here. We have plenty of guards overseeing the compound should you need time alone."

I stared over at the one window in the room, admiring the bit of sunlight that had cut through the winter clouds and hit the glass pane. Crossing over, I held out a finger, but the frail light wasn't enough to warm me.

Genkai's voice cut through my moment, "tomorrow, at dawn, you start training, so I suggest you get plenty of rest. I'll train you as hard as I've trained any student, that includes, Yusuke, and if he told you about any of it, you will heed my words about resting."

Meeting Genkai's eyes, I nodded, unsure of what to say. I was somewhat hesitant, nervous actually, about this training. I thought Lena would be the only one teaching me, but if Genkai insisted, I would do as she asked.

It was quiet now as she stood staring up at me and slowly, I turned away to begin unpacking. I heard her walking back to the door, but before leaving, she paused to say one last thing.

"Goodnight."

It was still early in the day, but the words were sincere, grandmotherly, and I glanced up. She was staring at me, this time with a small smile and soft eyes.

"Goodnight, Genkai."

With that, she left, closing my door and leaving me to stand alone in the quiet room. I stared back out the window and clutched at my necklace as I contemplated the coming days.

* * *

Hiei's eyes raked over the various demons, taking in their sizes. Some were large, yes, towering above nine feet, at least, and others were built like large apes, muscles bulging in the dim light. Yet, size, the muscles and height, it didn't matter to Hiei. It only mattered if one could wield their strength with expertise, using their mind to strategize. He eyed the dull expression of the largest demon. Apparently, strategizing would not be in everyone's favor.

Hiei closed his eyes and bowed his head, seeming to appear annoyed at just viewing the demons that had lined up in the middle of the room.

"If these are the new men, if I can even call them that," he grimaced at the nearest one, "that I will be commanding, I have little faith in them surviving even a human riot." Hiei muttered scathingly as Mukuro stood beside him. "I'd rather command newly born demons."

"I have another group, more experience demons, but these," she nodded over at the demons, "need the most work." Mukuro chuckled as Hiei's eyes glinted with annoyance as two demons began fighting, tackling each other while arguing over statuses. "I think a majority of them simply wanted the chance to train under my second-in-command. It seems you're still a celebrity."

At Mukuro's words, Hiei stared over at a particularly vicious demon, eyes glowing white, and teeth gleaming in the light as he actually chuckled while eyeing Hiei. The demon nudged his neighbor and they both stared pointedly at him while cackling. He refrained from rolling his eyes.

If these demons were smart, they would do well to keep from angering him. He wasn't in the greatest moods. Hiei doubted he would ever be in a great mood until he saw his mate again. He hadn't been able to see her as long as he liked, but his sister's drastic actions changed his visit.

He closed his eyes as he thought about the declaration his mate had made while she chased him. He had planned on leaving without seeing her after the argument. However, he couldn't explain why he kept walking down that driveway. He couldn't make himself move faster than the agitated walk from his sister, from the idiot, from everyone. Before, he could have left without anyone noticing. He had done so for years.

Then, she had to come chasing after him. He was going to leave with acknowledging that woman, but she was calling his name. His body wanted to turn, but he fought that temptation. He needed to find his discipline again. It was slipping further away every day.

He held her that last night. He hadn't expected to sleep so peacefully, with her resting atop his body. She fit perfectly against him. She hardly moved while she slept compared to the times she had nearly kicked him off the bed. The soft breaths against his neck were soothing and pleasant. The feel of her curves were relaxing, as if his body took pride in knowing she pleased him physically. The way she said 'goodnight' was foreign to his ears, but he responded to it warmly with a kiss. He enjoyed the heat that lulled him to sleep after the long travel he made to visit his mate.

He wasn't sure why he kept making the long trip back when he knew he couldn't stay long. He kept going back to Human World, to Hakone, up to her room, and in her bed. It was like a tug on his body and he was reeled back to her side. When he was near, his mind felt at peace. Everything made sense the closer he arrived to Karen.

He was losing it.

He knew she had those human feelings for him. He had heard the words in her head for a long time, but she never voiced them. When she declared them, in the winter air, he hadn't expected that to be the extra tug that would lure him back to her again. He hadn't expected to kiss her as if he couldn't go without a last taste of her lips. He hadn't expected to have to force himself to pull away from her just to regain some control.

He was weakening.

But he had three months to pull himself together. He would waste the absence from her by training these weaklings into a decent patrol force. Perhaps, being back in Demon World would make him more tolerant against the pull she had on him. She was safe in Human World. She was safe from the duties of her soul. He had made sure to make all the arrangements. Otherwise, he wouldn't be wasting time training these _things._

She can have her soft, human ways. If she needed to say the expression, she can, but he wasn't that far gone. He would claim it, as he claimed her first kiss, and everything else that would follow.

For now, he had these bastards to deal with.

"Well, they're ready," informed Mukuro and she gave Hiei a knowing look. "Try not to kill off too many."

Hiei grunted. Mukuro settled herself into a throne-like chair, eyes glinting as she watched Hiei walk calmly into the middle of the room. Taking his time, he walked down the line of demons and when he passed the two chuckling demons, the demons suddenly fell to the ground with blood seeping from their throats. The rest of the demons gasped. The fighting demons hurried to stand, both sweating bullets as Hiei swept by them.

"I'll only say this once," Hiei commanded, his words rolling off his tongue slowly. "I order, you follow."

* * *

"I order, you follow."

Those were Genkai's first instructions when I had arrived thirty minutes late one morning. Having overslept, I scrambled into clothes and made to dash out the room. Then, I met Genkai's furious eyes as she waited outside the door. From then on, through rain or shine, I promised to arrive on time. As punishment, I spent two hours running, not jogging, but actually running.

It was hard, legs cramping, as I stumbled past dead roots, acquiring a multitude of scratches that stung in the cold wind. To make matters worse, Genkai was constantly at my ear, taunting me into a silent fury. And when I thought we had finished after two hours, she demanded I run up those blasted stairs, cackling as I tripped numerous times.

Genkai actually enjoyed seeing my struggle to run so much that she made it a daily routine. Every morning started the same. Every morning I felt like hiding from Genkai, but I also waited eagerly for her instructions. It was a love-hate relationship.

My training with Genkai seemed, as if it was the only time that, I ever felt anything. It was as if I was still there, a living and breathing woman. Other times, I was invisible to the world and myself. At least with Genkai, she made me feel pain. The pain awakened me enough to see the world, but then it would end, like air that dies in the lungs. I would be lost again.

Body trembling with fatigue, I fell for the hundredth time. My left knee hit a particularly sharp step and trembled at the ache. I was barely half way up the torturous stairs, but I remained kneeling and breathing raggedly. I inspected my hands. I was transfixed by the blood and dirt caking my palms, as the colors was twisting in a weird fascination.

"Giving up, Urameshi?" asked Genkai. She chuckled rudely, "are you a quitter?"

I lifted my head tiredly and eyed Genkai as she ran up the stairs backwards. She appeared bored, as if running up her stairs was hardly worth the effort. My body was tired, beginning to weaken to the point that I didn't know if I could stand. I had always stood up and continued for her, but maybe this was it for me. I couldn't do it. I was failing.

"Get up, Urameshi," Genkai yelled, voice ringing loudly in my ears. I should have jumped up in shock, but I was exhausted. I bowed my head weakly.

She continued to yell, ordering me to finish to the top, but I shook my head. I was always going to fail because I wasn't strong enough. Everyone knew I was going to fail. I was too weak. I'm a coward. I was barely aware that I was mumbling the words aloud until Genkai growled angrily at me.

"You were brave enough to sacrifice yourself as a diversion. Where is that bravery now, Urameshi? Where did that strong woman go, the one that fearlessly went in the hole to help Valon?" Genkai grabbed the back of my shirt and yanked me up a step. I hissed as she dragged me to the top. "Hiei says you're weak and pathetic and you take it, huh, just take it like that?" I blushed slightly, not realizing that I had uttered those words at some point, too. "Yusuke needs to dictate your life and decide what is right and wrong?" The color of my shirt was biting into my throat and the fabric pressed against my windpipe painfully. "Let's just let them decide for you. From now on, no more decisions for you – how does that sound?"

"Stop it," I called out breathlessly as she pulled harder. A sharp step made a gash against my right kneecap, as she pulled me with her to the top. I saw the blood smearing behind me.

"What was that?" asked Genkai mockingly. "Are you speaking up now, Urameshi?"

How can she be so strong? She hauled me up another step. I struggled against her when my lungs screamed for more air. "I can't breathe!"

"Do you have to ask Hiei for permission to breathe?"

Now she was hitting low and I swung my arm up out of exhausted anger. She let go, but kept at me, taunting me as I pushed myself up. I climbed up a few steps and staggered toward the temple entrance while she walked beside me.

"Fight back, Karen, fight back against me!" she deliberated pushed me down. "I never said walk, did I?"

I bit my tongue, holding in my anger. My eyes narrowed up at her, but she smirked in response. I stood, fighting against the pain. Blood streaked along the dirt on my legs and trickled down to make trails. I continued up the stairs.

I wasn't quitting.

* * *

Yusuke stood with his arms crossed and grinned. "Man, they're looking good."

Hokushin stood beside Yusuke, watching his many brothers sparring with one another. They were all moving like lightning and using moves that were newly taught to them by Takeo. "Has Takeo contacted you, Lord Yusuke?"

"No," replied Yusuke, "but Jin and him will find the rest of the guys. Chu probably past out somewhere on his search for them – can't put too much trust in that big guy."

Yusuke took the letter that a small bald boy delivered him. Opening it and scanning the contents, Yusuke nodded to himself.

"Looks like we'll be getting our first priestesses in this area in a –" he checked the note again, "a couple of more weeks, month at the latest. Did we get the new monitors set up? I need a conference meeting by the end of the weak to confirm this."

"Yes, we did," confirmed Hokushin. When Yusuke didn't say anything further, Hokushin glanced at the bird upon Yusuke's head. Puu had a glum little tilt to his beak. "By the way, Puu seems a little down as of late."

"Probably those test he underwent with Genkai and Spirit World." Yusuke glanced up with his eyes and frowned. "They still can't tell me if anything is wrong or give a good reason why I'm unable to tap into my full demon energy or anything. Kurama suggested that I had gone on too long without using it. He said it's like an athlete coming out of retirement. I'm stiff. Puu seems to be taking the brunt of it and went back to his chubby self."

Hokushin nodded, but then, slyly, he said, "… or he's sad because you miss your family?"

"Me," Yusuke waved a hand at his chest. "No," but Yusuke was lying and Hokushin could tell. "Okay, so maybe."

Hokushin was quiet a moment before glancing sideways at Yusuke, saying, "why not write a letter to your wife and Karen?"

"You know I don't write," exclaimed Yusuke. "It'll be embarrassing seeing as how I dropped out of school." Yusuke made a face as he thought of his family. "They'll laugh at my handwriting and what if I spelled something wrong?"

Hokushin pulled out a pad of paper and pencil, hand poised to write as he looked at him. Yusuke had a feeling Hokushin had been planning this. Why else would he carry around writing material? "I'm an excellent speller and I can write –"

Yusuke slapped Hokushin in the back of the head, hissing, "Hokushin, don't be so loud! You'll make everyone think I'm stupid!"

Still fuming, Yusuke began walking while ignoring Hokushin's pleas for him to write home.

* * *

Days pass both slow and fast. The fast elapsing time was painful, marking my body with bruises and cuts. They were simple injuries that healed with the right healer, but still painful in acquiring them. The slow elapsing time happened often, when I was alone, waiting for something to happen, but not knowing what it was I was waiting for – I guess waiting for someone to hear me screaming in this madness.

A blast of light gleamed brightly and I needed to move, jump out of the way, but I was tired, and the bullet slammed into my shoulder. It hit hard, hard enough that I stumbled onto my knees. The bullets shouldn't normally hurt so much, but after days of attempting to dodge and block, my body was extremely tender. The skin was tender enough that even the small bullets were causing fist-sized bruises. I stared tiredly over my shoulder, silently begging for a reprieve. Genkai and the SDF guard woman stared back. Genkai's gaze was hard and without mercy. The guard's expression was one of pity.

"Get up, Urameshi!"

I felt like mocking her words, but I remained crouched in pain. It was always the same phrase, day after day, as I was either lying or sitting at her feet, having failed numerous times. Dodging skills should be easy, but it wasn't. I was aching in every place imaginable, even my left eye ached. The aches should fade, she said, but they weren't, and I was hurting. _She's cruel_, I thought, as she demanded me to stand again. Genkai's words were piercing my ears. I shook my head. _I can't,_ I argued. _I can't get up_.

Unheeding her words, I continued to huddle there on the ground and it must have annoyed her, no angered her, because she brutally ordered the SDF to fire more shots. I could hear the energy bullets whizzing toward me. I made an effort to move, an honest effort, but it wasn't enough as they connected with my back. They slammed into my muscles like fists and I yelled. Or did I? Did I even have a voice anymore?

She was screaming again and pushing me to stand, always stand. Why was she pushing me so hard when I was barely able to breathe? What did she want from me? Didn't she know that I wasn't strong enough to live up to her expectations? _I am trying with everything I have, but it's just not enough for you, is it, you old woman!_

"Just say the words, Karen, say you're ready to quit!" Genkai lightly toed my leg and the small action felt like a kick. "You've got a tongue, Karen, so yell at me to stop and we'll stop. Otherwise," she nudged me harder, "get your ass off the ground."

_I am standing_ – I stood up shakily – _but I'm still going to fall._

The guard disappeared and I knew, about a second before she appeared again, that the next bullet was most likely going to be it for me. It pinned me in the stomach and air whooshed out of me like a deflating balloon. Flying back, I ended up on the ground, the cold, familiar ground. I was dazed and tired and this cold ground was the only thing catching me these days, because I couldn't catch myself.

_I'm not getting anywhere,_ I mused, _nowhere at all_. I stared up at Genkai as she came into view and she was angry, but looking closely, she seemed sad, as if she needed me to fight back. I wished I could, be just a little bit stronger, but it wasn't happening. _I'm sorry, Genkai._

Staring past her, I simple stared up at the dead branches hanging above me. The pain was already beginning to fade, and in its place, came the nothingness that seemed to plague my mind when I was alone. Was I so far gone that not even the pain Genkai inflicted could bring me back, make me feel alive?

"Fight, Karen, fight!"

_I'm not a fighter. I'm just not. I can't be like the others and I know it, so why do you keep asking me to fight, Genkai?_

"Urameshi, get up and stand."

I closed my eyes.

"Get the hell up," she yelled.

She kicked at my side and I went rolling across the ground. Lying face down, I coughed up blood. The coppery taste was bitter and I watched it pool beside my face.

"Do you need more? Should I do what _he_ did?"

I bucked wildly when she placed a foot against my back. I felt her lifting my right arm up and the memory of him roared in my veins. I could not go through this again! I will not go through this again!

She laughed when I ripped my arm from her hands. She had been barely holding onto my limb. I pushed myself up weakly.

"Take you stance, then!"

_Shut up._

"You are pathetic, aren't you, Urameshi!"

_Shut up!_

"Damn, weakling!"

"SHUT UP!"

I was breathing heavily, as I staggered onto my feet. "I know what I am and I don't need you to remind me!" I faced the guard and knelt into the defensive stance Genkai had shown me. "Fire it, then! You wanted me to stand, well here I am!"

_Dodge a bullet, I'll show you how to dodge a bullet, because I can. I might get hit, I might only dodge one out of a hundred, but I'll dodge one, Genkai, I'll dodge one so you can shut up!_

The woman was running, trying to throw me off guard, but I was already off guard. Still, I hunkered down, watching tiredly as the woman weaved in and out of the trees. I had already seen this pattern, so dodging – I whirled out of the way, sloppily missing the blast – should be easy this one time, just this one time.

I hit the ground, narrowly avoiding the streak of light above me. I landed awkwardly, not in the way Genkai had shown me, but I wasn't perfect, and neither was my fall.

Something snapped back to life in me. My voice felt like it was ripping from my lungs as I yelled for Genkai to shut up. I could fell the winter air biting into my skin. How long had it been since I last felt the wind? I could see more clearly, as if a veil was lifted to reveal the world again.

There was a whistle in the air and I stiffened. I was too late to move as the guard fire. BOOM – It hit my head and the collision was strong enough to make me bite my tongue. Tasting blood, I staggered against a tree and hugged the wintry bark.

Images flooded my bleary mind. I remembered Keiko posing in front of a mannequin and speaking in a fake, rich accent. Kenji hit the ground after missing a bouncing tennis ball and I yelled for him to shake it off while his rival's fans sneered. Yusuke was racing me up the hill and he had chocolate stained teeth, sniggering when I tripped back down the hill.

It was automatic as I hit the ground and rolled away from the next blast.

Keiko was smiling, eyes shining with tears as she walked down the aisle in the white kimono-like dress. I saw the tears flowing down her cheeks as the vows were read. I saw her eyes alighted with such love.

I rolled back onto my feet and glared at the guard.

Yusuke's hand was trembling nervously as he drank from the sake cup, almost splashing the liquid on himself. He handed the cup to Keiko with an anxious smile and she stared up him beneath her lashes.

I crossed my arms, blocking my face from the oncoming blast. It hurt. My arms burned, but it was better than my face, right? _I was just protecting my vitals, right Genkai, and damn, it hurts, but I'm still standing!_

Hiei was holding me in his arms and rubbing my side while I cherished his warmth. I could feel the little light he tried to hide. I could feel it piercing my heart.

I fell to my knees as the last shot rang out and tears fell from my eyes. My fingers dug into the dirt and trembled, not in fear, in anger, for allowing Cain to affect me so – to try and end my life from my loved ones. Cain made me afraid and I hated him.

I sobbed. "I don't want to be scared of him anymore!"

Genkai knelt down and placed a hand on my back. "You see now why I've pushed you." She lifted my face and stared at me. "It is okay to fear, we all do," she narrowed her eyes, "but allowing fear to enter our lives is when we are defeated. Acknowledging fear is what makes us stronger."

She allowed me to bow my head and cry the tears I kept from everyone. Genkai ran a withered hand through my ponytail.

"You are strong." She patted my head. "Welcome back, Karen."


	34. I Am A Priestess

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Four: I Am A Priestess

* * *

"Alright, that's it," Genkai dismissed, and then waved her hand for added emphasis, "do as you please."

Perched atop a mountainous boulder, Genkai chuckled quietly as Karen all but bolted off toward the temple for a late lunch before her next session with Lena.

Eyeing her student with calm eyes, Genkai reflected back to the past month (and what a difficult month it had been, for both student and teacher!). Now, Genkai prided herself on bringing the best out of any student (_kami,_ did she have her hands full with Yusuke), but for Karen, it had been more difficult, because instead of teaching the young woman to fight and harness energy, she was teaching her defense and confidence. The defense was easy and Karen learned well enough, following directions quickly and learning to improvise during extreme situations. However, her confidence was challenging, because the young woman's confidence was completely shattered that when she arrived on the first day she looked like an abused puppy.

- Flashback –

"I don't know," began Yusuke softly. He stared at Genkai and waited for her to nod to confirm that she could hear him among the loud music, "she's just not well, Grandma, and maybe she should stay behind with Keiko." His eyes softened as he admired his family from across the room, "they could – keep each other company, you know…"

Genkai stared at her former student with a look of disapproval, "Karen is a priestess, Yusuke," she followed his gaze to where Keiko, Botan, and Karen were talking, "she has responsibilities to uphold that not even you can keep her from."

"This training will kill her – just look at her, she's still shaken up about what happened that night."

Observing Karen, Genkai took note of the shadows beneath Karen's dull eyes, the girl's pale complexion and her rapidly thinning state. It was the look of fear, a horrible affliction so strong that it began eating one in a slow death. She had seen that look before, had known that look before, but as strong and silent as it was, it was not impossible to overcome.

"I understand you've come to care for her as your own, in fact, there are many people who have come to love her," Genkai looked away from the young woman, "but Lena will still insist on the training despite your views," she eyed him carefully, "you do know that, don't you?"

Stubbornly, Yusuke crossed his arms and hardened his eyes, "Hiei thinks it's best she remain home," he paused to let his answer hang in the air, "and I agree."

_- _End of Flashback -

Just like that, it was all decided.

Around Karen, it was how Yusuke and Hiei operated, by making all of the decisions and leaving her completely dependent on them. She had seen Yusuke act this way around Keiko, but Keiko was strong, stubborn, too, and always made it a point to have her say in life. Karen, well Karen had been this way once, in the beginning, but then she disappeared inside herself after the incident.

Perhaps, the last great act of free choice and defiance for Karen was when she sacrificed herself for Nessa by causing a distraction. Karen's confidence and strength had been at full blast, and then it fell, taking her with it, as Cain brushed her aside as if she were made of nothing – a fly, mere paper! Instead of helping Karen to stand, Hiei and Yusuke shielded her in cage where she would remain until she could free herself. Genkai could provide the tools, but Karen had to unlock the door.

The tools were easy to provide but Karen refused to work at the lock on her cage. Sure, Karen learned quickly and followed her every demand, but Genkai did not want a puppet. She wanted Karen to yell at her – curse and scream, but the woman just mutely pushed herself off the ground, never arguing, and prepared for more. Thus, Genkai pushed harder, and at times, maybe she pushed too hard, but Karen always reacted the same, eyes dull, voice non-existent, and readied herself for more.

She had become a lifeless corpse with no emotions.

Then, she saw it, the burning anger of annoyance as Karen finally hit the ground and instead of getting up, she seemed to huddle there as pain overwhelmed her, a true pain that cut through Karen's numbness. However, it began fading away, and Genkai, in desperation, inflicted more pain and yelled into Karen's ear with as much criticism as she could muster. It worked and Karen awakened, fighting back with a flickering light that knocked the door of her cage clean off its hinges.

She had brought Karen back and had completed the first step in Karen's recovery.

Genkai hope that 'the first step is always the hardest' would describe Karen's breakthrough, but Genkai had a feeling that she would have to continue struggling up the mountain in her life.

* * *

When I was a little girl, a particularly favorite past time had been jumping out of trees. In my world, being a bird was something akin to being invincible, and as an orphan, invincibility was a craved trait. I remembered every feeling, from weightlessness, to the wind in my hair. It was a happy time, because worry and pain did not exist, were mere strangers, as in the end, there was always someone to catch me.

Eventually, as you grow older, you will have to learn to catch yourself.

"I'm falling!"

I fell, a _lot_, downstairs, _ups_tairs (and no, it was not tripping on the stairs), and even on uncluttered ground, a feat that was impossible until I entered the picture. These days, falling had become a new profession and it had few candidates. Yet, despite every occurrence, I still felt the need to scream out, 'I'm falling', as if to alert myself, that yeah, I was going to fall, and yeah, it was going to hurt.

One would think I would settle into some sort of routine, perhaps have learned to catch myself, do a nifty flip, or even cover up my fall by rolling onto my feet, but no - I just hit the ground, _hard_. The ground was my friend and we were real close because no friend of mine had ever caught my face, back, or ass as many times as the damn earth.

"Gr-ah!"

Pieces of bark crackled and scattered to the ground as my sneaker slipped off the side of the thick branch. I flung my arms out and tried to hold still, but the branch swayed violently enough to toss me away. Closing my eyes, I loosened my muscles, which was about the only thing I could do, and braced my body for the impact. Air whooshed out of my lungs, dirt filled my nostrils and my body flared with pain as the ground, the oh-so-familiar ground enveloped me with murderous arms.

"Not fun," I breathed out. Opening my eyes, I stared numbly as the treetops spun around in the never- ending circle of life. Soon, Lena's face joined the dance as her face blended in with the trees.

"How many, "asked Lena, her fingers wiggling before my eyes.

Squinting, I took a moment to answer softly, but the pain caused me to hiss out, "three."

Lena eyed me carefully, searching for any signs of an injury, but besides the aching muscles and cruel headache, there was nothing worth worrying over. I had had a concussion once, my fault of course, and thanks to a healer, whom I saw on a daily basis, were able to recognize minor injuries. The great thing about my teachers was that they trusted me enough to know when I was critically injured or just hurt. Likewise, in both teachers' eyes, critical was serious and hurt was learn-the-lesson-or-suffer-the-consequences. I usually suffered before learning.

"Back onto the branch and try again," Lena turned away, "concentrate, breathe through your nose and out the mouth, and shut out the world."

Resisting an eye roll, I was tempted to mock her by mouthing her words as she said the same thing every time. However, biting my tongue, I reached for a low branch and pulled myself up to resume training.

It had been two weeks since Lena appeared unexpectedly, looking all innocent and kind, but she played me for a fool as I learned her cruel ways. The exercises were simple enough, climb here, stand there, but the lessons seemed to rip apart my skull, say 'what's up, it's me, and I'm here to be the ache to your head'. No, an ache would be tolerable. This was a wall banger and just as the name implied, I wanted to bang my head against the wall.

I always thought I was averagely calm and patient, but that was before I became Lena's student. At least with Genkai, I could voice my frustration, curse and holler. With Lena, I was gritting my teeth so much that if it kept up, I would be spitting out teeth dust.

"Remember, focus," reminded Lena as I balanced atop the swaying branch once again.

Focus, sure, I can do that.

"Breathe."

Breathing is also not a problem.

…

…

…

"Seventy-eight thousand, five hundred and eight, seventy-eight thousand, oh, wait – was it seventy-eight thousand, five hundred and eight or seventy-eight thousand, five hundred and seven before I was interrupted?"

Yeah, it was definitely a wall banger.

The task was simple: climb an eight-foot tree, balance on the branch, and focus. Focus how, I do not know. Focus on what, I also do not know. Why do I not know – simple – because Lena never explained how focusing was supposed to help strengthen the barriers of my mind!

"… I was sure it was seventy-eight thousand, five hundred and eight, but – ah well, I will just start over."

I could hear my teeth grinding against one another, but forced myself to remain silent. Lena was just trying to elicit a response from me, trying to ruin my concentration, and this time, I was not falling for her tricks.

She pulled this sort of torture since she led me to her training grounds, ordered me to climb the tree, focus, and all while she counted to one million. Why one million, well because that was the magic number, and once she reached a million, I could move onto the next task. It was easy stuff, but I kept focusing on the numbers, focusing so hard that her voice echoed in my head. That was why I could not focus! That was why I kept falling off this damn tree! Falling was bad, brutal, because then she would have to pause, take the time to criticize my lack of commitment to her lessons, lose her place in the counting, and have to restart counting from an even thousand.

Down below, Lena cleared her voice.

_Hah, its fine_, _she is just going to restart from seventy-eight thousand._

"One, two, three," began Lena.

My body jerked and the branch began swaying dangerously.

"Four, five, six –"

This was maddening! Lena could not be serious about recounting because it had taken so long for her to reach seventy-eight thousand! I had done the math (Keiko would be so proud) and based on my hours of training, sometimes eight or twelve hours, once sixteen hours, and factoring in the time it took to criticize me and check on me after each fall, then it would be about three weeks before she reached one million. Three weeks was too long to be suffering the constant droning of numbers. Another three weeks will kill me!

"…twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four – "

I could feel frustration bubbling beneath my skin again. I needed to be patient. I was trying to be patient. I did not want to lose my temper, not with Lena, because I needed to succeed. I needed to strengthen my mind. I needed to remember the correct number!

"…thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine – "

I could not get the numbers out of my head and like in some toddler show; the numbers formed into plastic and were dancing before my eyes. Lena's voice was echoing in my ears and the numbers were laughing; they were LAUGHING! The numbers were all holding hands as they merrily sang along with Lena's voice and it kept going on and on and on –

"Forty…"

…

"Fifty."

…

"Six hundred and ten –"

Genkai was hardcore, but Lena, now, she was a killer.

* * *

"I'd like to thank you for what you've done for us," said Koenma, as he stared at the person seated before him. "I honestly don't know how to repay you… do you have any requests?"

"I heard humans, without spirit energy, were allowed to be guardians, because some of the priestesses' families are getting involved."

"Yes," began Koenma slowly as he scrutinized the young man, "these humans are very close to these priestesses and are quite insistent to be their guardians. The only thing is that they are normal and it would be dangerous for us to allow humans to be involved in such a dangerous situation –"pausing, Koenma leaned forward in his chair, "Kenji, you're not considering putting your name down as a guardian, are you?"

Kenji averted his eyes and drummed his fingers along his chair's armrests, "yes, I am."

"Kenji, you're a good person, and an even better friend, and I thank you for the help you've already contributed to the cause, as without it we would've had no idea how to begin in the first place."

"But?" asked Kenji gloomily.

"These potential human guardians are all related to the priestesses, and you have no relations – "

"The Urameshis' are my family," interrupted Kenji, "and the Kuwabaras', Kurama, they're all my friends."

"I understand Kenji," Koenma held up a hand and shook his head, "no, really, I do, but you should have never been involved in this. Kenji, you're a remarkable young man and you should be focusing on living a normal life."

"Well, it's too late for that, because like it or not, I became involved the moment I met Karen."

Koenma watched quietly as Kenji stood abruptly and walked over to the large window of his office. A few minutes of silence passed between them.

"Human life is more valuable than that of a demon," Koenma sighed heavily, his eyes pinned to Kenji's back, "you have no idea the repercussions Spirit World faces when human lives are at stake. I actually protested the human guardians, but I was overruled."

"All of the priestesses are human," countered Kenji as he turned around, "so this is already out of hand."

Koenma's eyes saddened as he stared at the young man before him. "Kenji, some things are just meant to be kept hidden from humans."

"All things aside, I'd still like to volunteer as a guardian," Kenji glanced up at Koenma, "you're going to need them. Grant me access to training with the specialized weapons and I'll consider that payment."

A good five minutes must have passed before Koenma nodded slowly. He reached for a sheet of paper and scrawled out a message. "Access granted. You'll be given our newly developed energy gun. It uses energy ammo – our greatest invention for humans. Also, our new communication ring, which also allows one to see demon and spirit energy, since you have no spirit awareness," explained Koenma.

"Are priestesses using these gadgets, those without powers?"

"Priestesses automatically see energy." Koenma reached for his official seal. "However, yes, the gun is being granted to those without powers. It is a useful weapon and will add greater protection." Stamping the paper, Koenma stared at the note with a solemn expression. "Are you sure? You're a bright, young man. Life your life while you can, Kenji," suggested Koenma.

"Yes, I'm sure," answered Kenji firmly. "I can't sit around while my friends are risking themselves."

Koenma nodded, as he could see the stubborn defiance in Kenji's eye. "A guard will arrive to train you, as I'm sure you'll need time to break this news to your father. We are allowing information to be given to the families involved. Once the guard deems you ready, we'll set you with a team to help. You're right. We could use more help, as those involved will eventually need breaks."

Standing, Kenji bowed his head and reached for the paper. Without a word, Kenji left the office to hand the paper in to the SDF office in order to receive his own training.

"The bravery of friends," murmured Koenma.

* * *

"You're improving," muttered Jet.

"Yes, improving," lifting an eyebrow, I turned my head slightly to stare up at my guard, "and just where is this improvement you are seeing?"

Jet coughed, either from the awkwardness of his comment or from the smell of my current work, and backed away. Shaking my head, I stared down sadly at the blackened bowl, which had been a nice, blue color before my experiments charred away its beauty. Picking up a set of tongs, I poked around inside the bowl to check out the contents, but nothing survived aside from the crisp remnants of a once beautiful, purple, velvet flower.

"I don't understand this medical plant stuff, Jet," I picked up the small book Genkai had instructed me to study. Scanning down the page, I searched dejectedly for answers. "I thought for sure the _Chykon _would combine perfectly with a simple blade of human _sage_."

"Well, it didn't explode like last time."

"But I've tried over a hundred combinations," I tossed the book, harder than necessary, on the desk and dumped out the charred pieces from my bowl. "Saruh and Yen picked up this skill quickly," I set the bowl down harshly as I whispered to myself, "so why is it so difficult for me?"

With only a month left before I was allowed to go back home, Genkai had decreased her morning training sessions from six hours to three hours, and that was great, or so I thought, until she explained why she was decreasing my morning sessions.

After her lessons, I spent an hour reading up on various first aid manuals in the temple's small library as Genkai assured me it would be useful knowledge. Once I finished, Genkai constantly quizzed me by watching as I bandaged Jet up (who was the forced victim of my lessons) like a mummy or making makeshift splints out of random objects. With a criticizing eye, Genkai missed nothing and constantly pointed out my mistakes from knotting loose bindings or assembling splints that broke apart with the slightest pressure. Each time my splints broke apart, Genkai would remind me, none too kindly, of stepping up, as the lessons would only become harder.

Learning about first aid and the use of medical plants wasn't mandatory, as only three priestesses, including myself, were the only ones learning such aids. To me it seemed like it was just something to keep us busy, make us seem more useful, for we were the only three whom seemed unable to reveal any special powers. I wasn't sure how knowing basic first aid was useful since there were plenty of guards who had healing abilities, which made learning first aid pointless. However, Genkai assured me that there wasn't always going to be a guard around, and that their healing abilities were limited because they required a constant supply of energy, whereas the old-fashioned way would always be available.

Medical plants, something I was also having a difficult time with, was much harder and required having knowledge about plants, both human and _demon_ plants. So after being handed a small book, consisting of words nearly too small to read, I was left to figure out how to combine both plants to help aid with healing without the use of energy. Apparently, the use of medical plants was a lost art as there were limited books concerning the subject and even fewer people who still practiced it. Aside from an extensive list of all the plants available for combinations and a few pictures (poorly drawn, I might add), the book Genkai had provided was not very convenient.

-Flashback-

"Kurama uses plants," I suggested to Genkai as I shuffled through the pages, "maybe he can add something to this book?"

"Kurama deals mainly with Demon world plants and is able to use his energy to manipulate them into serving his needs. The types of plants he uses are of a high class compared to the plants in your book. This is an ancient art, once available in both Demon world and Human world, but it didn't last long, as energy and technology makes medical plants useless."

"Well, we still use plants, sort of, like herbal tea for headaches or herbs in place of vitamins and some natural remedies, right – whoa!" I stared around the room in awe as Genkai led the way into the middle of the greenhouse.

"Those are not the same sort of plant uses," Genkai touched the hanging leaf of star shaped bush, "it would be something akin to the myths that humans placed around witches."

"Like – potions?"

"Yes, but obviously you won't be using crow feet and toad innards," Genkai waved a hand. "You are free to use whatever is in this room. I'd start with asking Saruh and Yen for help as to how to get started since they've been doing this for a while." Turning, Genkai pointed at my book, "there are some simple examples in your book, but other than that, it is mostly guess work."

I gave Genkai a startled look when she handed me a silver key.

"I will not be checking up on you so you are on your own. Do what you will, but this is something I cannot help you with, as I have no knowledge in this area. However, you may be able to create something that can be useful."

I stared at Genkai as she began heading for the door, "wait, that's it?"

"Oh, good luck," my teacher, replied.

-End of Flashback-

Good luck, indeed.

Aside from making a paste that could heal a small cut and a gel that could slowly relieve and heal a bruise, the only two examples in my book, I wasn't having much luck.

Saruh and Yen, on the other hand, were much more accomplished. Yen had greatly enhanced the examples in the book, such as improving the paste to heal larger wounds, and enriching the gel to speed up the recovery of bruises. And Saruh had developed a binding paste for gaping wounds, an herbal drink for greatly boosting energy, several curatives for headaches, aches, fevers, and had just finished creating an herb that could heal broken bones.

Thinking that I might be able to do something useful too, I did as Genkai suggested and asked them for help. Surprisingly, Saruh and Yen were extremely secretive with their recipes and refrained from helping. I was extremely surprised when Saruh said it would be best if I figured it out for myself as she had done.

"_I'm sorry, but I don't have any powers and this is something that I can actually be of some use. It took me a long time to make my curatives and I had no help," Saruh packed away her supplies, "Yen and I didn't help each other either and it turned out for the best. You'll get the hang of it."_

Saruh's words echoed in my head while I put away my things. I suppose it was only fair to go through this blindly. Did I really expect to learn all these neat curatives without having to contribute? Of course, they could have prodded me in the right direction, maybe give a little bit of advice, instead of having me grope in the dark. I wanted to help too…

Wrapping a hand around my necklace, I took a deep breath to soothe away my frustrations. As always, the cool gem seemed to chase away my worries. Once I was more relaxed, I cleaned up the rest of the mess and reached for my bag. My energy gun fell out with a 'thump' and a little blast squeaked forth to create a skid mark near Jet's large boot.

"Oops," I mumbled in apology.

"Trying to take my toes out, I see," joked Jet.

Jet was rather odd. At first glance, he appeared intimidating. He was 6'4". That was hella tall. I knew he was tall, because I measured him with some wrappings while practicing on binding wounds. He also wore those ever-present sunglasses. Honestly, he had nothing to be ashamed of, but he kept them on to hide his eyes. He had yellow, cat-like eyes and they glowed slightly at night. He wasn't a demon. He was from Spirit World, so I wasn't sure what he called – spirit person, I suppose.

In the beginning, Jet was silent, more so than Hiei. He wasn't rude or mean, just quiet. He followed orders without question, but eventually, a week in, he began loosening up. I think it had to do with us spending all this time working together. He constantly helped me train. We ate every meal together. He never laughed when I failed. I never made teased him of the crush he had on Nessa. He never ordered me around or made decisions for me. I never treated him like a low guard and always made sure to respect everything he did for me. We became quick friends.

Despite looking like a big Indian commando, what with his deep, russet skin, and thick, crew cut hair, Jet had a soft side. A few weeks ago, Nessa arrived to the temple to do some meditation after arriving back from her vacation. I had just limped away from Genkai's lesson when she came bounding out of the temple. Jet was by my side and waiting until we were far enough from Genkai's glare in the woods before carrying me to the nearest medical guard. However, Nessa came running toward us and yelling my name.

It was like watching Kuwabara and Yukina when they were staring at one another – these two were lost in each other's eyes. I never thought I would see the 'love at first sight' between two people. Grinning, I was ready to limp away, give them some alone time, but Jet appeared frightened. He hurried after me and I was ready to bop him on the head. Why, that tall man was shy in her presence!

I missed Nessa. She had only stayed a few days, but we spent the time talking. I was surprised at how close we were to each other, but it must have been everything that we had experienced together. I was actually a half-inch taller than she was and it was nice to have someone at a normal height. I did try to get Jet to join us, but he would always say he was on break. He left us alone.

I dusted my gun off with a frown.

My gun was small as hell compared to the other weapons some of the priestesses were using. It was like a baby gun. Genkai said I was to use it as a concealed weapon. It had the same impact, but it was lighter for me to use. It didn't recoil as greatly as the other weapons I had practiced with – this one worked well with me. It was black as night and had tiny blue lights lining each side. Jet said it looked like a small Beretta Nano, but I didn't know what those looked like, so I couldn't compare my little gun. I wasn't great with the weapon, but I could hit the targets… after a few tries. Like with everything else, every new thing took me time to accomplish.

I don't think I could take another life. However, if I had to, I would use my little gun to end life. For now, I was using it as protection.

"I was thinking," began Jet softly.

I switched off the power on my gun and slipped it in my pocket. It may be small, but it was strong if I upped the power knob. "Does it have anything to do with helping me learn these herbs," I asked in sarcastic humor.

Surprisingly, Jet nodded. "Yes." He unfolded himself from the desk he was leaning against and turned to me. "… How do you feel about cheating?"

At his question, I zipped up my bag. "What?"

"Saruh and Yen write their creations down. We've seen them doing so every time we come in."

I slipped my bag on and headed toward the door. "That's not right. Besides, how would we explain my suddenly, fantastic creations that look very similar to their creations?"

Jet opened the door and I headed outside with a yawn. "We don't," he answered. Turning, he locked the door. "We keep it to ourselves and use it for when you go to a temple."

"I still haven't approached that subject with Genkai and Lena."

We set off back to the compound. It was nearly ten and the skies were black, as there was no moon. I was ready to eat the late dinner I knew Rose (she was a pretty, busty ogre) would have set aside for us.

"But you want to," said Jet.

I did want to, but I was still trying to figure out how to explain this decision to Yusuke and Hiei. However, I pushed them away from my thoughts. Looking up at Jet, I decided to amuse him, "okay, so let's say we cheat. How would we get the book they've been keeping their notes in, Jet? And don't forget about their guards hanging around," I saw the compound approaching. "I'm not good at sneaking."

"Both guards hang outside. Both priestesses use the greenhouse on different days. We can attempt each group separately."

My eyes widened. Jet was serious! "Jet, why are you insistent about his?"

Sighing, Jet crossed his large arms. "I've seen how hard you've worked. I know how much you want to help. I've helped you in everything else, but this is an area that I am useless in assisting. You know more about plants than I do."

"… but I don't know anything about them."

"Exactly," he quipped.

I was silent while we headed inside Genkai's temple. The lanterns were glowing softly and illuminated our shadows. I could smell the late dinner and my stomach rumbled.

"If you can make the necessary healing herbs, it will help grant you as officially trained enough for your missions."

I sat down at the long wooden table. Staring up at Jet, I smiled. "Okay. Let's do it."

He smirked. "Then, this is what we do."

* * *

Hiei waited in darkness, seemingly invisible, save for his eyes that glowed eerily into the night. He was crouched in the upper branches of a tree, observing his surroundings as a powerful panther would watch for his next meal. He had been waiting for hours, hardly moving, that even a skilled demon standing below him wouldn't be able to sense his presence. He was an outcast, a banished demon, which made him an expert at blending in with the shadows, something he had done for the majority of his life. Now, his skills were needed as he waited to test the patrol

"No sign of Night Stalker," cackled a voice in his right ear.

Grimacing, Hiei reached up to respond into his earpiece, a rather bothersome invention, that Kurama suggest he use. He actually didn't care for the earpiece because he was able to communicate via telepathically. Yet, with Cain's abilities, telepathy was banned as it weakened one's mind. Mukuro agreed with the device, and not wanting to bother arguing, Hiei conceded. Besides, he needed prompt reports as of late. Still, the device was uncomfortable and he wanted to rip it out, crush it to pieces, and toss it into a decaying pond.

Nevertheless, he snapped out a quick reply, "run a round near the border and give me fifteen minute reports."

Without bothering to end his command with, 'over,' he clicked his com off and settled back against the trunk of the tree. His men might enjoy using silly coded words, but he'd rather be done with it. It was maddening to have to listen to them say, 'over', after every com interaction. Like children, they were enjoying the device too much by giving each other nicknames.

Night Stalker was the name his men had given the demon that they were currently on the lookout for, and like his name, he only appeared at night, skimming along the borders, and eluding all measures of capture. For the past two weeks, Night Stalker, would flit along the border and entice them all into a game of tag.

Hiei was Night Stalker – stupid name.

And he was testing them… again.

He didn't have the patience to train anyone, especially demons that had an IQ of five, insisted on acquiring nicknames, and wanted to challenge each other every five minutes. Training them had been tiresome, even more so than the time he had had to train Kuwabara for The Dark Tournament, at least that fool had a bit of control over himself.

Of course, his teaching methods might have been easier to do if he wasn't constantly plagued with images of his mate. It had been two months, _two months_, of pure torture as every waking moment of their separation had her face flashing inside his mind. It was driving him insane, being away from her (not that he would _ever_ admit it), and he had to keep himself from visiting her during their time apart. He was also tempted to use his jagan to see her, but he knew if he did, then he wouldn't be able to stay away from her, that, and he would have that damn witch, Lena, breathing down his neck for using such a method on his mate's vulnerable mind.

But he wouldn't cave into such a ‒ _human –_ weakness, because he was in control of himself. Karen was in her world, and safe, he had made sure of that after he had looked over the layout of the temple grounds, and had even chosen the strongest SDF guard available to watch her. He was supposed to be free of distractions – no, he _was_ free of distractions!

"Brigadier, checking in, north area is free of distractions –"

His body jerked as his musings were interrupted by his men's reports.

"Checking in with zero movement – "

"Clear – "

_Damn woman_, he mused angrily as he settled back against the tree, _the times that I need control and you cut through everything like a sharp blade._

He shouldn't think so much of her, but he did, especially at night, or anytime he slept. Actually, 'think' was a rather loose term, as it was more along the lines of dreaming. But how could he be dreaming if she even bothered him while he was awake? All his discipline was ripped apart as the images of her face, eyes, voice, and body – _oh, kami_ – her body, now that was torture. He had endured much pain throughout his life, and he'd experience it again if it would simply take the damn dreams away.

A normal man would have ravaged the nearest village's women to satiate their needs, but Hiei, was stronger. Besides, no amount of women could satisfy his needs and at this rate, he would have to hit up every village on Mukuro's lands, and he simply had no time for that. Demon women were not appealing anymore. Human women were not appealing anymore. No woman was appealing aside from his mate.

She had the body he wanted as it was untouched by anyone. No one felt her velvet skin as he had when she whipped off her shirt. He was still reeling from that unpredictable move. In all honesty, he had been completely stunned. He still hadn't seen the rest of her, but he'd work on it when he went on leave. She was hidden in her clothes that he planned on removing…

But he did have more control now. He was tortured, but not agitated. He had dreams, but they were only hauntings. He could feel his instincts stabilizing. Of course, they were still there and he would always have to keep them in check with that beautiful woman. He gave his word that he would wait until she told him she was ready. He didn't know if that still applied should he smell her arousal. He groaned inwardly. There was only one way to find out, but he couldn't be _that_ out of control. And she couldn't be that _in_ control of herself either, considering what happened at the temple.

Hiei wondered if she was done with her fears. In truth, he wanted to hear voice. He wanted to see her wrinkle her nose in annoyance or anger, but she was silent after Cain's attack. His hands tightened. That damn bastard had scared his mate into a shell. Hiei wanted her scared, but not to the point that she would start withdrawing. He had hardly seen her, but within those few hours with her, he knew she was different.

Time might heal her, but he wouldn't know until he saw her in another month. If not, he would have to figure out how to make her understand that she was safe.

Concealing his energy and lowering the volume on his earpiece, Hiei grimaced. He forced away thoughts of his mate and jumped down. Blurring toward the border, Hiei began the test again, even though he knew they would fail. _Pathetic, low, life demons_, he fumed.

You think they would have caught on by now.

* * *

_Saruh's Day – Karen's Mission_

"I don't like this," I sang under my breath while eyeing the blade in Jet's hand.

Despite being shy around Nessa, Jet acted normal around other women. I had remembered Saruh admiring my guard's muscles the time I went to ask her for help. Recalling this observation, I told Jet that he should try to charm her with his good looks. Jet agreed, but seemed unsure of how to go about it. So, he practiced on me. We worked out a way for him to use the fact that he rarely smiled. If he were to get close to Saruh and show a little grin, maybe she would faint (I'm positive that she was lonely). If not, Jet was going to knock her out by her pulse point and take pictures of her notes with my phone. However, he would feel bad for doing such a thing – so seduction was the way to go with first.

Yet, there was still Boss, her guard, to deal with, and I was supposed to distract him. He usually sat outside the greenhouse, like the other guard, and smoked. Jet revealed that Boss was a pervert for legs but I doubt I'd be able to distract him long enough to draw him away from the greenhouse. Jet still needed time to get in and work his plan. Agreeing, Jet said that Boss had healing abilities and if I were injured, he would have to take the time to heal me.

I sighed. Jet decided to use my legs with an injury as a distraction. I didn't want to be a seductress. I don't think I could be convincing enough, but Jet told me to think of every romance movie I had seen with Keiko. I hoped Hiei would never find out about this. However, it was only fair to use my body as Jet was going to use his against Saruh. Keiko's soap operas were about to be put to the test.

"Just the back of your thigh," he instructed.

I was wearing some cutoff shorts (cutoff even more for this occasion). February was a little breezy for such shorts, but given that it made dodging, running, and training easier, they were proper. We cut these ones especially short.

"Why the back of my thigh," I asked blandly. Realizing that Boss may look at my backside, I shook my head. "Never mind," I sighed.

Jet was going to cut the back of my thigh. It wasn't a big deal for him to touch me. He saw me in my sport's bra plenty of times while he waited for the healer to heal my fractured ribs (Genkai's doing). Sadly, Jet didn't have healing abilities. I think that's why he wanted to learn herbs with me. We were both trying to learn something useful.

Stretching out on my bed, I buried my face in the pillow. He didn't carve in, but he cut it as if we had been practicing dodging knives. Still, I winced at the angle of the blade slicing into my skin. It didn't last long and Jet hurried to wrap a bandage around my thigh.

"Okay, let's hurry before the bleeding stops."

"Easy for you to say," I grumbled while hobbling after him. "For the record, don't mention this to Hiei."

Jet knew all about Hiei and had even mentioned that Hiei had chosen him as my guard. I should have known that was why I had a big ass guard. Still, Jet grimaced.

Leaving my side, I hobbled toward the forest and rounded back up to the greenhouse. I was trying to appear as if I had come back from training. Being without my guard wasn't a big deal. They were allowed breaks. I would simply say so should Boss ask me.

Seeing the greenhouse, I sighed. Grimacing (which wasn't hard), I started limping up the hill. I made sure to keep my head down, as if I was extremely injured. When I knew I was far enough away from the greenhouse, but close enough to alert Boss, I collapsed onto the ground. The action made my thigh throb, but I remained unmoving. Getting a lot of injuries wasn't uncommon for me and some of the other guards already knew I was one of the weaker priestesses, which is why Jet was using the injury method, too.

I felt a flutter of air. Keeping my eyes closed, I allowed the person to roll me over in their arms. Dramatically, I peered up at Boss, as if I could hardly keep my eyes open. His cigarette was hanging limply from his mouth as he stared down at my bare legs. I felt like sighing irritably. These legs were for one person only, even if he didn't notice them.

Boss was a short man. He was a few inches taller than I was and had a lean frame. He didn't look like much compared to Jet, but he was able to punch out several trees with his fists. Boss had a brown goatee and brown eyes. His pale skin made him appear washed out when he stood next to the other guards.

"Priestess, what happened," he mumbled around his cigarette in a lazy drawl. He was a slow speaker.

Trying to recall Keiko's soap operas, I lowered my voice into that of a damsel. If anyone else, say my family, or Hiei, was here, I would have looked pathetic. However, I had to bide Jet time. This would never leave the compound.

"My leg," I moaned. I was depending on Keiko's shows to help me. I reached down shakily and touched my exposed thigh, "I d-didn't dodge the knife in t-time." Inhaling shakily, I closed my eyes again. "I was looking for an h-healer. They're on break." I fingered the edge of the bandage. "I w-wrapped it as best as I could…"

"Where's your guard," he inquired. "Were you using the shooting devices? You're supposed to have your guard with you."

_Oh crap,_ I thought. Thinking quickly, I decided to act as if I didn't want to be a burden. "No, please don't tell. He was eating lunch. I just w-wanted to get a head start," I grabbed at the front of his shirt.

His eyes softened and he nodded. "Alright, we'll keep this between us."

He stared into my eyes.

My eyes were watering from the pain.

…

…

…

My thigh was really aching. Why the hell wasn't he healing me yet? Losing my patience to the pain, I said, seriously, "my thigh?"

"Yes, sorry." He cleared his throat. Glancing back down, he reached up slowly and removed his cigarette to flick it away.

Grimacing, I decided that Jet had more than enough time now. I awkwardly removed the bindings from within his arms and tossed them aside. I eased from Boss's arms and rolled onto my stomach. Resting my head on my crossed arms, I waited for him to heal the wound. If he didn't do anything in ten seconds, I was going to limp away to find someone else –

Calloused fingers skimmed below the wound and I glowered. _Hey_, I thought sourly. _There's no need to touch in order to heal wounds._ My teeth set on edge as his fingers lingered below the wound.

Luckily, I kept from swatting at his hand. There was a cooling sensation and I sighed as the pain began ebbing away. After a minute, I knew the wound was closed. Hurriedly, I sat up to thank him.

"Uh," Boss began, "I know this is weird, but –"

"Karen, I've been looking for you for ten minutes," interrupted Jet as he approached.

Catching on, I pretended to appear meek. "Sorry, Jet."

"Boss," greeted Jet before helping me stand.

Hurriedly, Jet and I headed back to the compound. Boss fell back against the grass and I heard him say annoyingly, "ah, it wouldn't work anyways."

* * *

_Saruh's Day – Jet's Mission_

Cutting into Karen's thigh, Jet tried to be quick. He was comfortable enough around Karen that touching her bare thighs didn't bother him. Karen was beautiful, but he didn't see her in that way. It was most annoying when one of the guards would elbow his ribs and snigger, asking what he thought of his priestess. He never answered the jibes. He cared for his priestess as a friend and he was smitten with one of her friends.

Thinking of Vanessa, he grinned.

But they had a mission.

He knew how hard Karen had worked. She pushed herself to her limits during training. Seeing her struggle to prove herself made Jet want to help her in her endeavors and he knew, that if she could create strong healing herbs, Karen would be granted permission to travel. He was also curious to know a few of the herbs, too.

If only those stubborn priestesses would have helped Karen. Jet respected women, but at times, some of them were annoying.

Once he saw Karen collapse to the ground and Boss rush to her aid, Jet snuck into the greenhouse. Saruh didn't even notice his entrance until he made sure to close the door hard enough that it clicked in the quiet room. The thirty-year-old woman whirled in alarm, but refrained from screaming. Even though he had on his sunglasses, Jet made sure to keep his face in her direction, as Karen instructed.

"Is there something I can help you with," asked Saruh after a long moment.

Jet was surprised she didn't ask why Boss had allowed him inside the room. However, he strode forward quietly and watched her eyes move over his body. He had purposely cut the sleeves off his shirt to reveal his biceps, which seemed to be doing a good job in distracting the woman.

If only he could act like this with Vanessa…

Shaking off those thoughts, Jet murmured softly, "my priestess left her book."

"Oh… did she?"

Knowing he had limited time, Jet headed toward the priestess's station. He decided to go in for the kill. That and he wasn't much for talking unless he knew the person. This woman was attractive, yes, but he only admired Vanessa. But, Saruh was wearing some interesting perfume and deciding to investigate, Jet leaned in close once he reached the older woman. He heard her breath catch when his body brushed up against her and he sniffed discreetly. It was nice, like flowers.

"W-what are you doing?"

Being honest, Jet rumbled lowly, "you smell good." When he heard her little gasp, Jet moved until he was staring down at her face. He saw her pupils dilate and he leaned down. His face was inches from her when his lips lifted up at the corner. For some odd reason, that was enough to cause the priestess to faint. He caught her in his arms. _Huh,_ he wondered. _Karen was right_.

_Maybe I can use that with Vanessa,_ thought Jet.

He shook his head.

Setting the woman in the nearby chair, Jet whipped out Karen's phone. It still had full battery used from being unused. Remembering Karen's instructions on how to use the device, Jet found Saruh's journal and snapped pictures. He hurtled through the pages and clicked the button as fast he could move. Once he was done, he blurred toward the door.

_Mission accomplished,_ he grinned.

* * *

Turns out, Saruh's herbs were enough to get us by until we could figure out our own creations. Jet had left for a few hours after the mission to download the images onto papers in the guard office. When he returned, we spent the rest of the day pouring over the pages.

But we still had to mix them.

"_You added too much Reddelin," I shrieked up at Jet. "It's ruined!"_

_Jet threw down the wooden spoon. "I can't do the damn measurements! You said a smidgen." He held up a lean, but large finger, "do you see the size of my fingers!"_

"_Well, it's not my fault my fingers are burnt from the last time! Otherwise, I would have –"_

_Before I could finish, Jet pushed me and I went skidding along the floorboards. There was a loud explosion, like fireworks. I somersaulted backwards, rolling onto my feet, and hid behind the nearest cabinet._

It was going to take a little work.

Currently, I was sitting beside Jet as we waited for Genkai and Lena to settle in their chairs. A week from my leave and I was going to ask permission to be allowed to fulfill my duties. Jet was with me for support and as a witness to my accomplishments. If I were allowed to visit the temples, Jet would be my constant companion. We were in this together.

When Lena nodded with a polite smile, I cleared my throat. "I'd like permission to attend to the temples."

Glancing at Genkai, Lena exchanged an unreadable look with the tiny woman. After a few seconds, Genkai turned to regard me with a frown. "You're not ready."

"When I am ready, then," I insisted. "I'd still like it to be taken into consideration."

"Karen has been working diligently," began Jet as he shifted in his chair, "and she has curatives to provide."

"Do you now, Urameshi," inquired Genkai. "I wasn't aware you made any progress."

Really, I didn't have any curatives. I was working on them. "Yes, well I'm still testing them, but I do have some good strong ones to help aid the teams."

At my statement, Genkai narrowed her eyes. "How have you learned so quickly? It took Saruh and Yen months to develop their curatives."

I felt Jet stiffen beside me and I averted my eyes to the table. An uncomfortable silence settled where they were scrutinizing me. Unable to handle the gazes, I decided to be truthful. "We cheated and stole Saruh's notes."

"Karen," moaned Jet under his breath.

"… They were going to find out anyways," I whispered back.

Leaning across the table, Jet said hurriedly, "we only did so because Saruh and Yen refused to lend aid to Priestess Karen."

Leave it to the man to point fingers, even if it was true. I hung my head and waited for criticism. I waited for Genkai's scolding. I waited for Lena's soft glare. I waited for – laughter? I raised my eyebrow as Lena threw her head back and erupted into whimsical laughter. It rang beautifully in the air, like that magical harp in the corner of a fancy room. Panting, a giggle here and there, Lena wiped at her eyes. Genkai was shaking her head in amusement. Jet and I exchanged wary glances.

"Oh, priestesses can be so amusing at times," murmured Lena with a smile.

More seriously, but still smiling, Genkai explained. "Saruh found another ancient curative book in my temple. I had no idea I had one –"

"Actually, she has no idea what is in there," interrupted Lena with a serious expression.

Ignoring Lena, Genkai continued, "and she's been using them to create her curatives. Her work is actually copied from the book. Yen's guard knocked out Saruh and her guard, and they stole the book, which is how we found out about the book. They came running to us when they argued for the rights to the book."

Clasping her hands under her chin, Lena rested her elbows on the table. "How did you two go about this?"

Jet crossed his arms and glanced away to observe the wall. I looked pointedly up at the ceiling and wondered about the make of the hanging lantern. The paper frame was rather beautiful with its brief designs of red.

"Yet, I'm sure you're still figuring out the conversions," questioned Genkai and bringing us back into the conversation.

"Yes," I answered while straightening my shirt, "but we're getting the hang of it."

Nodding, Genkai looked me over critically. "Like I said earlier, you are not ready." My left shoe began tapping the floor. "You're gun handling isn't as up to par as I would like, but you are improving. You still need work on your first aid, too. I would like that down pat now that you are underway with your herbs."

Accepting that, I turned to Lena, "Lena?"

Completely serious and face unreadable, Lena stared at me. "Actually, you underwent a good amount of mind training on your own at the temple."

"… I don't understand," I mumbled.

"Valon related to us about the obstacle you two had to undergo, remember?" She waited for me to nod before saying, "I usually use fear to lure the priestesses into a sense of calm to control their emotions in extreme situations. Genkai has used such a thing before, as well."

Closing her eyes, Genkai said dryly, "I made Urameshi sleep with snakes for three weeks."

I blinked. "I didn't know he was scared of snakes."

She smirked, "he was. He was in tears the first night."

"Valon said you fear snakes." Lena furrowed her brows. "I imagine that must have been a traumatic event for your mind. Valon had training for such a task, which is why she managed to make it as far as she did into pit before allowing it to warp her head. You, on the other hand, had to walk through the entire obstacle without Kurama's help."

I thought of Hiei's face as I was lowered into the cavern. "I had to do it."

"Yes, well, it helped develop your own mind barrier. You conquered your own fear."

Frowning at her, I murmured, "then what have we been working on?"

"I was simply working on your balance and patience." She said simply. "You have been done with me from the beginning."

My jaw fell open. "You mean all that was just extra!"

Lena stared patiently at me. "It was fun though, hm?"

"But," I stared at my hands, "I don't feel any different than before – my head feels the same."

"Trust me," Lena peered into my eyes calmly, "when faced with a task, barriers and such, it will come to you. I have not been wrong in that area."

"However, we do have a dilemma with you, Karen." Genkai sipped from her cup of tea.

Sighing, I rested my elbow on the table and held my head up with my hand. "Yes, I know. Hiei and Yusuke have ruled against me."

"That's not all," Genkai set her cup down. "Yusuke we can deal with, but Hiei is another matter. The only reason Hiei is assisting us is because you're his mate."

I eyed her curiously.

"In order for us to receive his services, he bargained that you remain from temple work. Hiei pulls a lot of weight with Lord Mukuro. Without Mukuro's aid, we would have had to trespass on her lands. She's a hard one to negotiate with, considering all that she already does, but Hiei successfully made the deal. As negotiated, he helps train the new patrol for the border and is stationing the men in needed locations."

Hearing this, I exchanged a glance with Jet. I could see his mind working for a needed response to state our case.

"You need him," I said.

"Yes," Lena's soft voice answered. "We need as many temples as possible. Access to Mukuro's lands is a must."

Not to be ruffled at the news, I straightened in my chair. "What if I can… talk to him?"

Genkai cackled at my idea. "I think you're going to need every known deities help in order to convince –"

"Wait," Jet interrupted, seeming to have an idea. He looked at Genkai. "That's it," he said, "she can convince him. What if Karen can prove herself capable of handling the temples?"

Brightening at the idea, I nodded. "I'm not a fighter, but I can keep safe and go about solving any obstacles. I'm even getting better at first aid."

"And would he allow you to convince him," asked Genkai.

_Damn_, I thought angrily. "Well," I shuffled through my thoughts, "… like I said, I can talk to him. Once I can handle a few temples, prove that I'm capable," I faced them seriously. "I'll be the one to state my case to him, but I need time to work the idea across."

"It could work," murmured Lena to Genkai. "As much as we need Hiei, we also need Karen's help. He knows Cain's powers and he needs the added protection we have given the priestesses."

"I'm all for deceiving, but what if this doesn't work. He may withdraw and Mukuro might restrict us from using her lands –"

"No," I interceded with a glare. "I can handle Hiei, just… just trust me. I can do this. It's my choice. As a priestess, I deserve the utmost respect in my decisions. This is my choice," I repeated and Genkai's eyes danced with an odd light. "Hiei _will_ allow me to join the temples, but I need the chance to prove myself to him and everyone else. I am not going to sit around like a princess in a tower while everyone else works." I hardened my eyes. "Just give me the time to talk to him."

The two women exchanged looks again and I crossed my arms. Jet imitated my stance to try and lend more intimidation. If this didn't work, I was going to whip out my baby gun and start threatening. I didn't work this hard to remain useless.

"Priestess Karen," began Lena, "you're in."

A huge grin stretched across my face at those words.

"We will have to work carefully. You need to up your aid skills and gun control, after that we will set up a team for you. I would also like you to have at least one guardian. Genkai and I will search for a few candidates and see what you think of them. Jet will decide the other guard." Lena smiled at me with something akin to pride. "Now, since you want this chance to prove yourself, you will obviously have to work in secrecy until you feel you are ready to reveal the news."

Genkai pierced me with her stern eyes. "This means we'll have to work around Hiei's schedule. You're Karen when he's home. You're Priestess Karen when he's gone. The human temples are done with and we can't send you to Urameshi's territories. Mukuro's lands are out of bounds, too. However, Yomi's lands are slowly being worked on. There is the chance Kurama may discover your team, but he's been busy escorting other groups. It's a chance we'll take."

"As extra precaution," alerted Lena, "you will always be the decoy priestess. We send two priestesses to the same location, but you will travel separately. Allow her to drain the temple and you will be the backup – it is how we have been arranging everything. You gave us the idea at the first temple."

I raised an eyebrow at that, but Genkai elaborated. "You're energy doesn't register. Spirit World has what they call an _Eraser_ to diminish energies. It should work fine in covering up the claim Hiei has on you."

I jumped at that idea, recalling the way he had looked when Takeo touched me. "No, you can't erase that!"

"We won't," Genkai frowned, "it'll only cover the energy and scent he places on you. We need those out of the way so that you're rather bland to any bandit groups. The Eraser wares off in twenty-four hours. It's a nasty seed to take. Kurama developed it – most of his seeds aren't very nice to take anyways."

"It is nifty," assured Lena. "Sometimes a priestess takes it, sometimes a guard woman, pretending to be a priestess, takes it. We have been switching it out in the groups to keep things thrown off, as Demon World will soon start learning of the nature of priestesses. They will be after us while Cain is hiding."

As the conversation dwindled down, Genkai finished her tea. "We'll need to discuss this with Koenma, but he'll allow it. Priestesses do have their say, you're right." She smiled at me.

"I will be gone next week," informed Lena. "As I've said, you are done with me. Work on your stuff because Genkai still needs to approve you. However, I will be back the week you are home. I will arrange a meeting with Koenma and have a guard, or Yusuke, if he's there, bring you to Spirit World." Lena stood gracefully as she prepared to leave. "Should anyone ask, explain that I am merely confirming that you succeeded in my training. I've done the same with the others. Obviously, we will be revealing your decision to Koenma. Await my calling, Priestess Karen."

Watching Lena leave the room, I turned to Genkai. She was smirking. "You do know that we had already planned this out, do you?"

"What you guys waiting for?" I asked.

"For you to be a priestess," she bowed her head and stood. "If we're lucky, we'll be able to work around Yusuke's schedule, too. Otherwise, I'm leaving you to explain everything."

The door slid shut and I slumped in my seat. A nearby clock was ticking loudly in the room and the big man beside me stood to his feet. Standing with my guard, I turned to him. We both were staring at one another with blank expressions.

Then, we hugged each other with grins.

"C'mon, we got herbs to mess with," he ordered.

Grinning, I collected my bag and hurried out of the room.

I can do this. I just needed a chance. I only hope I could prove myself to Hiei… and that he didn't get too angry when he found out. No matter – I would handle his anger. I'm not afraid.

* * *

A/N: For any readers that just read through this entire story and now returned to this update, I have some news. I did a rewrite of the entire story. Why – well, it needed it for one, and I was always too lazy to work on it.

Don't worry. I kept everything pretty much the same, but I did intensify a lot of the bonds between people, especially Karen and Hiei. I just couldn't believe I would keep them so bland together after they spent six months alone together – yeah, my older readers (hey, young, too, I guess) would know that's just not possible. Even the most disciplined person gives into temptation. Of course, they remained innocent. I simply turned up the heat, a lot. I also fixed a lot of scattered scenes and conversations (sometimes, I was like, who the hell is Kurama talking to?).

I've been working on this rewrite since January and putting in all the constructive criticism (seven, eight years' worth). I think I did all those readers I failed justice (sorry, it took so long). All scenes are still in, like the stir-fry, Hiei running Karen down on the bike, and all that, but there are like a few little new scenes. I have an old friend that's read through this and she liked it more than the original. I like it, too, so I'm going to keep it.

Now, because of the scenes between Karen and Hiei, I need your opinion. I don't plan on writing a lemon (why the hell is it called a lemon anyways. Sex isn't sour. I always thought it was sweet like melons, honey, or a jelly-filled donut). So, I'd like to keep the T rating for now, but that depends on how you guys view it... scratch that, I was joking. It's time to upgrade and I'll see what I can do... *grins*

Review if you want, send a message to me, tell me it sucks, tell me it rocks, either way it's going on guys. I'm not going to be one of those authors that demand reviews. I've been a part of this site for a while and I'm mature enough to handle a variety of things. Sorry, for the long wait. Sorry, for having this story unfinished for so long, but any older readers will tell you that I'll keep coming back until it's finished. 2012 was rough on me, horrid, actually, but I survived. I'm here to finish and my story is leading in the direction I want. Just know, it's long since I've decided to keep it one part – no, part 1 or 2.

So do what you want. I love you and I'll put the other chapter up soon.


	35. Sometimes You Just Need A Girlfriend

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Five: Sometimes You Just Need A Girlfriend

* * *

Peaceful.

That was how I felt the moment I stepped off the train and onto the platform of the Odakyu station. As usual, it was overflowing with fellow passengers and a tidal wave of awaiting passengers. I could hear the blaring of whistles and crescendo of conversations all around me. Several businessmen were discussing upcoming meetings and talking hurriedly into cellphones. A baby was crying in the distance and the young mother was shushing the child with a quick lullaby. The air was dry and filled with the smell of exhaust, food from an indoor food station, and waste from nearby trashcans. Yet, I was closer to home than I had been in three months.

I could do without the smell of pollution, which was something that I immediately picked up after living in the countryside for three months. Being surrounded by this many people was also an overwhelming feeling because I had only been around a set number of familiar people. In fact, if it weren't for the burly guard ahead of me, I would have been swept away among the sea of travelers. Silently, I wished my guard was here to guide me among the masses, as he was a giant shield against pointy elbows.

Jet was on vacation. He informed me that he would stay in contact, via cellphone, when it would be appropriate for us to head back to Genkai's temple. He reminded me to keep up with my stretches and try to work in some time for running. Otherwise, I'd be regretting it when we went back to the temple to fit in some extra training for Genkai's approval. He was right. Genkai would not be happy if I came back all stiff and sluggish. I'm not sure where I was going to work in some conditioning time, as Yusuke and Hiei would wonder why I felt the sudden need to exercise. I was only supposed to train my mind, not body.

The only people who knew of my plan were Jet, Lena, and Genkai. Everyone else was ignorant and I hoped it remained that way. Eventually, Koenma would be added to my list when I discussed my decision with him later on in the week. I prayed he would listen to my request and not brush me away because of his need for Hiei's assistance.

Arriving a day earlier than planned, I was to spend the day with the guards and –

"Woo-hoo," howled a vibrant voice from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder with a grin at the sight of Valon. She descended the train with eager eyes and a smile that blinded the crowd. A dozen people regarded the tall, bronzed-skin woman and her red highlights with grim expressions. "Man, I can't wait to see the city! I'm a tourist, baby!"

Yes, Valon accompanied me home because she had a mission.

-Flashback-

"Karen, did you hear me?"

My eyelids fluttered open at Valon's intruding question. Silently, I regarded her with a lift of my eyebrow and she crossed her arms with a teasing scowl.

"What has you so preoccupied, Karen," she asked curiously. "You've had your head in the clouds for the past couple of days."

Quickly, my cheeks heated up and I tried to turn away from her probing black eyes. Valon hardly missed a thing with those obsidians, as my actions were too slow to avoid the flicker of recognition dancing within her exotic eyes. Valon's lips stretched into a shrewd grin. "Oh, I think I know. I bet it's that badass demon you're with – what was his name," she asked while tapping her chin thoughtfully. Avoiding her gaze, I looked pointedly at the passing clouds. "I think it was hot as hell Hiei."

Casually, I waved a hand toward the sky. "I was actually thinking that the clouds look like –"

"C'mon," she elbowed me in the side and I grunted at the jab. It kind of hurt. "I still can't believe someone like you is with him."

Hearing that, I frowned worriedly. "What do you mean 'someone like you'?"

"Well, I mean he's all dark and mysterious." Valon pushed herself up and wrapped her arms around her knees. "When I first saw him, I was like, he's one mean son of a bitch, but extremely hot. Then, I kind of pieced together that you two were involved after you guys disappeared for a while." Narrowing her eyes slightly, she stared down at me. "How did you guys end up with each other?"

I went back to watching the clouds. They really were developing into unique shapes. I easily spotted a cloud that resembled a chess piece. It made me think of the times Kenji would demolish my army of white pieces in a game of chess. He would laugh insanely and demand I bow down to his conquering kingdom.

"Karen," she whined at my silence. "You and Nessa are my only girlfriends, _ever_," Valon's face drew up into one of dramatic sorrow. "Enlighten me, Karen. My love life is in the gutter!" She was screeching her words, uncaring if any nearby guards heard. "I haven't had sex for nearly a year!"

I cleared my throat discreetly at her outburst. Down below, a beefy guard looked up from where he was standing at the bottom of the hill. I heard the training in the distance pause at her admission for a whole minute. It was as if the world went silent, in a type of astonishment for Valon's 'the slump'. Valon didn't care. She defied silence of any sort, even if she were standing in a stadium full of thousands of people that suddenly went mute.

"I'm twenty-one years old and I'm in a dry spell. The least you can do is talk about your demon." She nudged my shoulder. "Hey, I know what's like to be young," Valon wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and I eased away. "What's it like being with him? Who made the first move –"

At the insanely fast-paced questions, I sat up.

"What was your first kiss like with him? Was it rough like him? Does he like to bite – I bet he does, doesn't he?" She was grinning mischievously. I was ready to run for cover to avoid further embarrassment when she suddenly said, "Ooh! How _big_ is he?"

I staggered back onto my rear and this time my face went up in flames. "W-what," I asked dryly.

Suddenly, Valon was silent and I could see the wheels turning in her head. The bronzed-skinned woman slowly lifted an eyebrow and I forced my blush away. Straightening my shirt, I avoided those black eyes of hers that were beginning to gleam brightly.

"Karen," she began quietly that it was an astonishing whisper, "are you a virgin?"

At the question, I hung my head with a miserable sigh. "Why do you have to ask like it's a crime to be?"

"Really," she asked, taking my question as an admission. "You mean that hot demon and you haven't had sex yet?"

She wasn't going to leave me alone. Valon was persistent and knowing that, I flopped back onto my back to glare at the clouds. "We're getting there," I finally said, seeing as she was determined to be these _girlfriends_. "I was just thinking that he's going to be in Demon World a lot and I'm worried that I'm not as appealing to him as those," I tried to make my voice strong, but it came out in a murmur, "women over there."

Frowning, Valon grabbed my shoulders and lifted me back into a sitting position. We were sitting side by side and staring down the hill where another priestess was sparring with a guard. Valon was quiet and I looked away from the priestess to pick at the grass. Perhaps there were times Valon joined the silence, if there was something huge dancing in the air. My virgin ways must have been twirling about in the clouds like elephant ballerinas right now.

"Karen, you're beautiful." She half turned toward me, but I kept my eyes pinned to the growing pile of shredded grass near my left shoe. "Hasn't he ever told you that?"

_No_, I answered silently. I thought over her question while twirling a blade of grass. The only compliments he had made toward me were over that burnt stir-fry and that my hips were big. I don't think the last one was a compliment. Regardless, it was most likely the _only_ acknowledgment he would ever pay to my body.

_"As if," he drawled out, "seeing your body excites me, woman."_

Hiei had sounded like he meant all those words long ago. He had even regarded me with looks of disgust on a number of occasions, like the time we accidentally brushed too close to one another on the day of my test. The casual dress days for school when I had donned on something cute were met by his critical eyes and comments that always made me second-guess my appearance.

I don't know how he viewed me anymore. He was different toward me now than he was in the beginning, but as for why, I didn't know. I wondered what changed his views toward me.

Unless, he had grown tolerant to me, like one does toward a disgusting rodent that escapes capture.

It was hard to read Hiei. I never knew what he was thinking. Sometimes, I wished he would tell me if he thought I was pretty. I was starting to feel like this ugly creature that was plastered to his side where he couldn't dislodge himself from, so he settled.

_Settled_, I thought grimly. _That is such an ugly word._

But he touched me. He kissed me. Surely, he had to find me somewhat pretty to want to keep pushing me toward sex. He even kept up our relationship when we had returned to Hakone. Except, he was in Demon World now, which would provide him with plenty of opportunities to find another woman. I was stuck here in my world. If he found someone else, I could never compete.

I hadn't even heard from in three months. I hadn't seen him in three months. I didn't think Hiei would answer any of my letters if I were to send any, so I kept from writing him. He had never tried to contact me either, which also kept me from trying to reach out to him. Three months was such a long time – people change in three months.

What if he came back, saw me, and realized that he must have been completely blind to think of ever wanting to be with me?

Now I was starting to work myself up too much with all these questions and doubts. The negatives outweighed the positives in these flustered thoughts. I could be wrong. I was usually wrong. He might think I'm pretty. He might not be settling. He might one day say 'hey, Karen, I think you're pretty, but yes, you still have big hips. I didn't lie about that'.

Why couldn't I think of myself with him without using words like might and maybe?

Sighing inwardly, I forced a smile onto my face and threw some grass onto her crossed legs. "Yes, of course he has."

Either I was becoming a great liar or Valon was easily fooled, because she grinned brightly. "See," she nudged my shoulder again, "so what's the problem?"

I thought of our first kiss. I had reacted so violently at the contact of his mouth that I reared up and knocked heads with him. He kept massaging his head for the majority of the day whenever he would stop to gas up the bike. There was also the most recent time where I had taken off my shirt. I had completely humiliated myself by stupidly offering myself to him when sex had not been his intention. He even laughed at me when I had thrown myself at him the time he was fixing his mark on me.

I just couldn't do anything right.

Lowering my eyes, I mumbled dejectedly, "I just don't want to disappoint him…" I left off 'again' as Valon would question the times I had disappointed him.

Sparing me a sincere smile, Valon patted my shoulder. "You're not going to disappoint him. The next step is – it just comes naturally." Twisting her lips thoughtfully, Valon asked, "how long have you two been together?"

The honest question caused the wheels in my head to spin furiously. I looked at my fingers, as if the slender digits could calculate the exact time of our odd relationship. Did I count it from the time of the first kiss? Did I count it from when things started heating up? There was also that conversation we had in the forest before the fight in Tokyo. Was that the start to things? Blinking, I decided to use the time we left Tokyo. It gave me a distinct time frame.

"Six months before I left for training," thinking of when we first met, I added, "but I've known him longer than that… over a year now."

At my answer, she spluttered in disbelief. "A-and you two never," she didn't finished her sentence. Instead, she shook her head with a grin. "That's amazing! You have him whipped, girl!" Eagerly, she grabbed my hands and gushed, "Karen, what was your first date like?"

Again, she stunned me into brief silence. The wheels in my head were trembling in overdrive. I think a nut went loose and was pinging around like a bullet. The thoughts went blank. I couldn't recall a single date – because we never went on a date.

When I didn't say anything for a few minutes, Valon's grin turned downward. Uncertainly, she said, "you did go on dates, right?"

"Well, we uh," I searched for anything that had been akin to a date, "went to the movies one time."

"Really?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. How was it that she could buy my lie over Hiei calling me beautiful, but not the half lie about the date?

Blabbering, I eyed my hands. "I mean he took me there and everything. Actually, he was forced to take me to the movies," I waved my hand in an offhand manner, "but that's a long story. We ended up seeing only thirty minutes of the movie," I thought of Shizuru, "so I never knew how the movie ended. It was pretty good – the bit that I saw, I mean."

Valon scowled, "that doesn't count." She leaned in closer and I could smell her citrus-y shampoo. "Did you two go on any dates," she asked fatally, as if we had committed a morbid offense.

I fingered the hem of my shirt. "What do you consider a date?"

"Did he take you anywhere on his own, just to spend time with you?"

"Yes!" I held up a finger with a bright smile. "We had lunch," quickly, my smile faded. We had had lunch in Tokyo after shopping for my school supplies. At the time, I hadn't thought of it as a date of any sort. If I had, I probably would have stammered out the question to him when I asked if he wanted to get some lunch. Glancing at her, I dropped my finger, "but I asked him. I guess it wasn't really a date. I was just really hungry and he was my ride for the day."

Valon set her hands on her hips and a dark aura rolled off of her in waves. "You're telling me," she peered into my face. Our noses were touching and I swallowed, "he's never taken you anywhere, at all, in the entire time you've known him?"

Well, Hiei and I had taken plenty of walks in Tokyo, Hakone, and Shirakawa-go. Most of the time, we never spoke on the walks, but Hiei wasn't big on talking. I searched my mind for anything in answer to her question, but most of the places we went to were forced on his part. He had to take me to the library because Keiko insisted and I was freaking out about the test. We went to pick up my uniform in Tokyo, but again, that was forced. The movie we went to was never finished. I asked him if we could have lunch and he was annoyed at my offer. I guess… we never did do anything like what Valon was implying.

He took me to plenty of hotels on his own, did that count?

"No, no, no," Valon waved her finger agitatedly after another lengthy silence. I leaned away with wide eyes as she jumped to her feet. "You're gonna get your dates, girl."

Blinking at her question, I muttered, "I am?"

"Yes, you are," she fumed with an odd light in her eyes. "If he wants sex, he's got to work for it, especially with you! You're beautiful, kindhearted, amazing, and," she slapped my arm, like it was my fault, "Karen, you deserve to be treated like a woman! You can't give him yourself yet, especially since he's going to be your first. I know he's good looking and all, but it sounds to me like you're giving him some nibbles when he hasn't paid up."

I blushed… but I liked the nibbles.

Maybe I should mention that he had saved my life a number of times and was probably expecting payment of a sort. Maybe I should have told her that we had already been living with one another before we got serious. Maybe I should have said he's been waiting for a long time already – like months. Maybe I should also mention that we were mates, which was like marriage, so having sex was kind of needed right now. I doubt mates date anyways.

Hiei wasn't the dating type. I almost laughed at such a silly idea, but my heart gave a pathetic tug. He would never ask me to dinner. I would never dance with him. I'll never get any flowers from him, even if I loved flowers. Hiei wouldn't even take me to a movie. Movies may be a juvenile type of date, but I loved going to the movies.

I guess I missed out on all those romantic start offs to a relationship. It wasn't as if he was withdrawing from me anymore. I couldn't even remember the last time he used a grunt as an answer for my questions. He even laughed a little whenever I did something stupid. I had been extremely happy when he responded kindly to me wanting to hold his hand. He let me touch his face without pushing me away with a glare. I also slept in his arms, which was something I would never forget. His warmth, smell, and strong arms were a cage against the cold world.

I'm sure if I wanted a date, I could beg him to take me to the movies. He wouldn't have to do anything, just sit there while I watched and plowed through a ton of snacks. He wouldn't even have to buy me a flower, as I was satisfied with the sketchbook he had bought me (but he had also been forced to do so that time, too, or so he said). He could even take me to a prison, say that was his idea of a date, and I would be ecstatic because I was still with him.

But we just kissed and it went from there.

"He's um," I tried to find some defense for Hiei, "well, our relationship is kind of not normal. Hiei's a busy person and –"

"That's no excuse." Valon insisted with all the fury of an irate woman. "If he really wants it," she looked into my eyes, "trust me, he'll put in the effort. Your body is your own, so set some guidelines." She tilted her head and I could see thoughts flickering within her eyes. "You know, he is the bad boy, I mean, man type, and you're kind of a soft woman."

My brows furrowed. "What do you mean?" I glanced down at myself. "You mean I'm not good enough for him?"

"The opposite, actually," she muttered under her breath so quietly that I didn't catch it. Inhaling, she knelt in front of me. "No, but I think he's been with women that he didn't have to try with." After she said that, she looked a bit guilty. "I mean, not that he's been with a lot, or maybe –"

I wasn't upset at her statement. I knew Hiei was more experienced than I was and that he must have been with plenty of women before me. He knew what he wanted and what to do, which was evident by how aggressive he acted toward me when we kissed. I was at loss of how to keep up. He was my first in everything. I had no experienced except what I learned by trying to keep up with him. He made the first move in everything. He set the pace with every kiss. He was always beating me at the finish line before I even left the starting lane.

"It's okay," I assured her quietly. "I know he's been with other women. I'm a virgin, not stupid."

Valon chuckled at my words, but continued with a soft voice, "what I meant was that you got to make yourself so desirable that he'll know that he's lucky to have you. He should be feeling that way now, but if not, well, we can change that, my friend."

There was a menacing glint in Valon's eyes and I leaned away with a raised eyebrow. "How," I whispered and the one word was like an ominous breath before one drowns.

"You got to be that one woman that he won't forget, so that every time he leaves, he's not going to ever see another woman but you. You got the looks, Karen, but I'm gonna help you flaunt it." Valon grinned devilishly. The corners of her lips were literally curling before my eyes. "I'm not talking about flirting with other men. No, you're going to be dedicated to him. Dress up for him and put yourself on display, but do it in a way that every other guy will notice. It'll make him realize that he should be lucky to have you. He should feel breathless that you would even want to be with him." I was inching away as she leaned in closer with every sentence. Her breath smelled like coffee, which was nice, considering what breath can smell like during the day. "Keep him second-guessing when he thinks you're going to be predictable, but stay in control."

I swallowed nervously.

Shaking her finger, she said, "Karen, always stay in control until you think he's been good. Give just enough, leave him panting, and he'll come back for more. You should have done this from the beginning."

"He didn't notice me in the beginning."

"Yeah," she stood and placed her hands on her hips proudly, "but that's before you met me. My virgin friend, you're going to blow his mind when you two meet again."

-End of Flashback-

Yusuke had meetings to attend in Spirit World, as he wanted to get them over with before I came home tomorrow. Keiko was supposed to be home, but she had an emergency meeting with a client. She was covering for a coworker and the client was an important businessman. Not wanting to frazzle them, I assured them that it was fine. Anyways, we had time to catch up and we would see each other at dinner tonight.

So, seeing as how Yusuke and Keiko was busy today, entertaining Valon's mission sounded fun.

The first stop we made was Hakone. The guards waited around outside while we showered and dressed for the day. We had traveled throughout the night and sleeping on a train was harsh on my back. I was purring at the onslaught of heated water that seeped into my aching muscles. It was that little bit of heaven in my life. Hiei was the rest of my heaven that was burrowed down in the dirt. I was always going to have dig for that light.

"He's not home," I murmured after trying to call Kenji. "Oh wait, I forgot he's at school."

Valon didn't hear me. She was busy pulling all my clothes from the closet. She had two piles and one pile was steadily growing larger and larger. She was even rifling through my underwear drawer, but appeared to be only looking at the articles. While she was digging around in my drawers, I crawled toward the piles at the end of my bed.

The larger pile consisted of jeans, shirts, and jackets. The other pile, much smaller, had the few skirts, shorts, and dresses I owned, but hardly wore. I noticed she even had the two pairs of heels I owned sitting to one side of the bed. My other sneakers were in a pile on the floor.

"Um, what do the piles represent?" I asked while fingering my jeans at the top of one of the piles.

Valon stared proudly at her work and pointed at the small pile. "These are what you're going to be wearing. I know jeans are great and all – trust me, I have more than you, but," she shook out the sack next to her, "we're donating these."

I tackled the pile and pulled out my favorite jeans. "Not this one," I demanded. "It's my favorite." She nodded, but seeing another favorite jean, I reached for it. "This one, too, because it's kind of artistic looking – oh, wait! I like these! It has a lot of memories!"

Valon crossed her arms. "It's time to say goodbye, Karen."

Hearing those words, I knew she was right. I remembered the woman Kenji had hit on in Nikko long ago and how much more sexy she appeared in her outfit, which had been similar to mine. I bet Hiei had been with plenty of beautiful women that dressed in the latest fashions. I kept thinking of all the time he would be spending in Demon World.

I wasn't changing my appearance because I thought he would notice me more – he was paying attention to me these days without a regard for I what I wore. I didn't think Hiei was that type of man to go chasing someone simply because of how they looked physically. Otherwise, he would have never spared me a second glance. Only, Hiei was working hard to keep me from temple work and I was starting to feel guilty about going behind his back. Maybe, I can make it up to him by dressing up for him. It couldn't hurt to want to feel pretty, like wrapping up a bland present with fancy wrapping paper. The gift was more cherished with sparkly papers.

I wanted the one month with him to be special before he had to leave again. I wanted to look nice for him when he came back home. And yes, if I could, I wanted just a few dates. I had already decided to give myself completely to him when he returned, but a few dates couldn't hurt. I was already his – waiting had simply been my confusion to our relationship.

With a reluctant sigh, I let the jeans fall back into the pile. I stared glumly at my shoes, "wait, I'm keeping at least two pairs of sneakers." I snatched up my colorful sneakers with the designs sweeping the sides and familiar chucks with the zippers. "I'm not great in heels."

"Okay," she said, "but heels are easy to work with and you're ankles look strong. Plus, heels are going to make your legs look killer. We'll work on it!" Smiling in pride at my refusal to take off running with my old wardrobe, Valon began stuffing clothes in the bag. "So, cleaning out the closet is the first step and yes, it is necessary. Removal of comfy clothes ensures that you'll wear those cute outfits, but that little pile won't be enough…"

I gave a little grin, "we're going shopping, aren't we?"

Valon's chin dipped toward her chest and she gave an eerie smile. Shaking my head, I joined her in ridding my old clothes.

* * *

Cain leaned his head back as he allowed the steam of the water to soothe his aching muscles. Eying the ceiling with cold emeralds, he was seeing the gold of the light soaring from that tiny priestess. His lip curled in disgust as he recalled the weakness of his body. The light had ripped through him, tearing through his veins like a thousand knives. His power had dwindled – dwindled enough that he fled as if he were a weak demon.

If he had not been distracted by that decoy, that weak human bitch, he would have noticed the priestess zipping into the prayer room. Palei, the priestess he had captured, had not revealed any of the rituals of the prayer room. He knew there were many and he had feeling that his enemy was going to perform something within the room. He had seen brief glimpses of the images in the young girl's head, but glimpses were all she revealed. She was too young to focus on any one thing and he had tried to push through that by torture.

And he got carried away by her screams. Such a little girl with a loud voice provoked a response from him that he hadn't felt since he began his hunt for the priestesses' souls long ago.

But he knew now.

They were harvesting energy from those temples to destroy him. It hadn't been enough, but he wouldn't be caught off guard again. His wounds would heal. The torn muscles of his abdomen would stop howling in fury. His energy would return, this time faster than the two years he had had to wait. He had Palei's soul and he had an enchantress with great healing abilities. Still, it would take time.

They should be grateful for the time.

Lena should be grateful for the time. Seeing those cold colored eyes reminded him of the past, one that would always haunt him…

He heard the door creak open and he lifted his head up. A tall, robed person entered the darkened room of the indoor hot spring. Cain's cool gaze eyed the stranger with disinterest as they approached him. He heard the soft clicking of heels and narrowed his eyes. Once the stranger, a woman, reached the edge of the spring, he watched feminine hands reached up to the clasp of the robe.

"Are you my enchantress?" asked Cain coldly.

The robe pooled to the stone floor to reveal a naked woman with long, red hair and gleaming brown eyes. She stepped calmly from her heels and bowed her head. "Yes, my Lord," she murmured huskily. "I am Ruka."

Cain almost smirked at the honorific, but refrained from doing so. "You're healing abilities were recommended. I hope you live up to such rumors."

Stepping into the hot spring, Ruka moved forward slowly. The water began boiling as her body cackled with her every step toward Cain. "I have spent years honing my skills, my Lord. I will not disappoint you."

This time, Cain did smirk. "Pray you do not, Ruka.

* * *

I eyed my tall companion in horror. My eyelids were practically nonexistent with how wide my eyes went at the sight before my nose. "Do you want me to die of humiliation, Valon?"

Valon twirled the end of the thong around her index finger. "Yes, because death in these will be sexy, don't you think?"

I turned my head as the thong nearly brushed against my face. Sniggering at my inflamed cheeks, she used the thong as a slingshot and aimed at my head. I wrinkled my nose as I caught the skimpy underwear. I threw the stringed underwear into the bin with an indignant huff. It smacked onto the piles of other on sale panties.

"What's the point of even wearing that when there's nothing there?" I asked heatedly. That thong was sheer, see through, and the back end was the thickness of dental floss. "If that was the last piece of underwear in my drawer, I'd go commando."

Hearing that, Valon asked lowly, "does Hiei go commando?"

I kept my face unreadable to her teasing question. Yes, sometimes, he did, but I wasn't about to reveal that to Valon. She would end screaming and the next time she saw Hiei, there was no telling what she would do to him. I knew he did because I did the laundry in Shirakawa-go. Maybe demons in Demon World wore less clothing, as Hiei was always without his shirt, too. Of course, there was nothing wrong with him being shirtless… or sometimes, forgoing underwear.

He was a very confident man. He had every right to be with his sculpted body, gorgeous eyes, dark, husky, _sexy_ voice, steaming masculinity, and flaming lips –

Discreetly, I began searching for an air vent. It was getting a little hot in this lingerie department store. I found one near the back and tried to cool off from the images of Hiei. I had never thought so vividly of him until a few days ago. I was both nervous and excited to see him again. I hoped I didn't do anything foolish like faint in his presence.

Calm now, I returned to browsing the racks of fancy brassieres. I didn't mind being in such a store, as there were some beautiful bras on sale. I was happily carrying a few matching sets under my arm. I had found some decent sets that had whole pieces of underwear instead of thongs or g-strings. However, it seemed the prettier bras came with those brazen materials. There should be equality among the gorgeous sets! I didn't mind fancy cut underwear, but at least give me some decent coverage. I wasn't confident enough to wear those types of panties in his godly presence. I could just imagine myself tripping and landing face first in while wearing a thong. It wasn't a pretty image.

A majority of my allowance money was finally being spent and Keiko would be proud that I was using it on clothes. I actually had no idea what to spend the ever-growing allowance on, as I had never needed anything these days. I wasn't stingy with money. I just never had access to a great amount of money that was supposed to be used for my own amusement. Now, it was dwindling just fine and about time, too. My wallet had been bursting at the seams. Sometimes, I had to sit on the rectangular holder just to flatten it down.

Despite being a tomboy, Valon knew how to dress to impress. I was a little wary of what she would have me try on, but she had nice taste. Valon was very much like Keiko and piled clothes into my arms while I staggered beneath all the weight. The dressing rooms became my temporary house within each clothing store. Usually, I sat there, tried on dozens of outfits, twirled before her eyes, and sat there some more while she ran about the store.

The shorts I normally chose were tossed aside in favor of short shorts, but they weren't short enough to be indecent. I could handle them being slight above mid-thigh, especially after seeing a fellow classmate strutting around in her version of _short shorts_.

"_Now that's short," whispered Valon with a critical glare. "When the cheeks pop out to dance, that's a sign of too short."_

_I watched Mui, a girl that had been in my lab class, walking about the store. Mui's shorts were so short that the curves of her butt cheeks were showing. I would never be able to wear anything that short. Mui was entirely comfortable in the denim and even bent over to retrieve a fallen hanger to show her confidence. She wasn't wearing any underwear. I don't think underwear was made for something that short._

I tried on skirts and dresses for an hour. Most of the skirts were a solid color, because Valon said solid meant business – or something like that. There were a few playful skirts, like this one with the floral prints. I didn't think it was going to look nice, but when paired with a white shirt, it looked pretty. The dresses were easy to wear. Valon said nothing could go wrong with a sundress, because they were flirty and casual, yet elegant enough to pull off in a number of places. She was also trying to pick as many articles of clothing that would reveal my neck and shoulders.

"_A glimpse of the shoulders makes men think of boobs," explained Valon casually._

_I dropped the cute, off-shoulder shirt with a choked gasp._

Heels were to be my new shoes. I was prepared to hobble around and break an ankle in the three-to-four inch heels Valon forced me to try on, but walking in the heels was a breeze. All the training with Genkai had strengthened my ankles. All the training with Lena had strengthened my legs. All the suffering I had undergone made me a little less clumsy. I had never been this steady in heels. I had never been this steady in my _entire_ life. Anyone struggling to walk straight should seek out those two, hardcore women.

I couldn't help but give a smug smile once I made it around the store without faltering. No wonder Keiko wore heels all the time! I liked being slightly taller. I also thought the fancy shoes were beautiful and made my legs look longer. Staring in the sales mirror, I smiled at myself. I felt beautiful. The feelings of beauty made me want to twirl about, but that might be dangerous in heels. I was steady, not a professional.

But I also had a handful of flats. I wasn't going to strut around in high heels all the time, even if they made me taller. I even splurged on another plain, black Converse, as my other ones were nearly dead. One couldn't go wrong with those old chucks! I was going for low tops this time since summer was coming and shorts would be common attire. I was tempted to purchase another pair of Converse (Valon had gone to the restroom) but decided against it. I'd wait until next time.

"Here," Valon's voice cut through my musings. "You need this."

Seeing the article of clothing, if it was even considered clothing, I hissed, "_Valon_!"

Dangling upon the black hanger was a lacy lingerie set. The matching bra and panties were nice, but then there were the garter belt and thigh high stockings to consider. I stared at the violet brassiere that was bordered with black lace – and the rest of its matching pieces. The only normal piece of clothing was the stockings. They were a sheer black.

"No." I shook my head venomously.

She thrust the set into my arms. "It's on sale," she insisted with a growl. "These thigh high stockings will go great with those one shorts or that skirt, hell, even that red number you got," her eyebrows wiggled comically, "or for special occasions."

"W-what the – Valon," we were both fighting to put the item back onto its display stand. "Hell no, I'm not wearing this!"

"It's just a garter belt, stockings, and matching underwear – and the underwear is surprisingly not a skimpy g-string! These are the shit! A lot of women wear them under their skirts… this is just more lacy and sexy."

"Yeah and he'll ask 'what the hell are you wearing?'" I frowned murderously to match her narrowed obsidian eyes. Shoving the hanger onto the display rack, I whispered dreadfully, "he's going to laugh! He will!" I could just picture his criticizing eyes, "and I'll be humiliated!"

"Every woman has one of these bad boys!" Valon placed a hand on her hip and bristled, "and let him try and laugh! No man would dare laugh if a woman strutted around in this sexy set unless she was eighty-years-old. This," she grabbed the set again and waved a hand over her body, "is one of our weapons to grace our luscious curves! We are queens when we wear this! I'm telling you! I doubt those demon heifers have any of these!"

Since the entire store was starting to stare at us with lifted eyebrows, I pursed my lips. Grabbing the set from her, I tucked it under my arm to hide from view. I wasn't going to wear it! I was simply conceding to buying the set to avoid further arguments. Once I was home, this lingerie was going to hightail it to the back of my closet where, hopefully, moths will eat away at it.

"And look at this cute, blue garter," she bounced after me and held up a package. Inside the package was a beaded, blue, floral lace garter.

"That's for brides," I checked my phone for messages while she we walked around the fancy underwear and little, skimpy outfits. I fingered the fabric of a nurse outfit. _Wow_, I mouthed at the material.

"No, they even wear them for prom." She tapped the package against her chin. "Hey, why don't you wear this for him? Anyways, it's not as if he's going to know – it just keeps things interesting. He might like it since its blue."

I tried to ignore her by replying to one of Keiko's texts.

"Attention, lovely ladies," announced the store's intercom, "as per the flyers, everything is now seventy-five percent off for the next thirty minutes!"

Out of nowhere, a herd of women came streaking through the doors. Valon gave me a push and I battled my way to the front counter to beat the earlier shoppers. One woman's pointy elbow rammed into my right boob and I hissed in pain. _Dammit, that hurt_, I thought angrily. Using my training, I twirled, ducked, and sprinted around with my armload of underwear. In the background, articles were flying into the air in vibrant colors. I thought I saw Valon in a tug-of-war with a rather heavy-set woman over a pink bra.

I had more than enough money for my stuff, but Keiko had drilled the importance of sales into my head with the ferocity of Mr. Yukimura when he was going on about seasonings. She would never forgive me if I didn't take advantage of the bargained prices, especially over such expensive underwear. Huffing, I dashed all the way across the store amid the sea of mad women and suffered a bruised hip from a large woman.

This was a war!

* * *

Kenji slouched into his bedroom with a tired yawn. Throwing his bag into the corner, he stripped off his dirty shirt. He heard the housekeeper yelling down below about leaving now, but he ignored the woman with a grimace. It appeared as if his father had hired another keeper while he had been away. Funny that his father notices when he needs a new keeper, but doesn't notice when his son vanishes for a few days.

Go figure.

He should hire a new son while he's at it.

Switching his stereo on, Kenji unbuckled his jeans and let the belt drop to the floor. The blast of the stereo drowned out the silence of the house. How can one drown out silence? Well, one never knows how loud silence is until they're alone to hear it blazing. Any music was better than the screams of loneliness.

He had been gone for the past few days to train under a guard with several other human guardians at a secluded compound. He wasn't official yet, but he was nearly there at the rate he was going. He was to be a temporary guardian, without a mark, until he could prove himself to a priestess of being capable of assisting them. However, he could still attend any temple and lend a hand. The volunteered guardians allowed for a constant switching of guards to help give breaks to those who needed time off.

Using a gun wasn't so hard. The recoil of his gun took time to adjust to, but was doable after a couple of months. He had the energy to keep up with the conditioning the guards had set up for them. Years of training for tennis had paid up for this new training. His stamina made up for what he lacked in strength. If only he was brawnier. His speed was great, but he needed to be stronger. He was still working on his weight, trying to add some more bulk to his frame, but it was taking time.

He'd get there.

The gun he was issued resembled an UZI, but fired single shots as fast he could pull the trigger. The energy blasts were powerful and effective against weaker demons. It'd take a few well-aimed shots for any demon that could effectively fight better than those in the C class could, but his was aim wasn't quite bad. Kenji liked to think that all those video games were worth playing for this moment in his life.

Grabbing a clean towel and his boxer briefs, he headed toward his bathroom. It was as he was passing that he noticed his calendar. He eyed the date he circled tomorrow. Underneath, he had Karen's name written in black and the tennis match vs. Hiro marked, too.

School had started two months ago. Kenji didn't know why, but he kept up with school and training. For some reason, he was hanging on to his education. He didn't care for school. Not one bit – yet, a part of him thought of his stupid father. How he would feel if he knew that he quit school? On another note, he thought of his mother. She would have cared. She had always cared.

But he was quitting school.

He didn't need the system anymore. He was eighteen and intelligent enough to make his own way in the world. It was getting in the way of what he was committing himself to doing – helping the world. He wanted to help in any way he could, even if it was dangerous. He had his purpose and he had never wanted anything more.

The fight in the temple at Nikko had haunted him for a few weeks, but he conquered the nightmares. He never wanted to feel helpless, again. He remembered the death of the tall, unknown, SWAT member and the calmness of Kurama as he fought to protect him. He remembered the look in Cain's eyes as he regarded him with disgust – something he had stepped on, like a cockroach. Kenji never wanted to be that weak again. He was going to fight for his friends and his world. He was going to be more than just a weak human and prove his species capabilities.

Even if Koenma had suggested he tell his father, Kenji ignored the advice. Kenji didn't plan on telling his father. He was just going to leave. He'd be away for a few months once his travelling schedule was fixed. He had his money withdrawn from his account and settled into a new one for when he returned. He'd find an apartment in Tokyo and live the bachelor life, as he had always done. He wasn't coming back home this time.

But, maybe he was just hoping his father would have noticed that he had been missing school days out of the week. Maybe he was just hoping his father would receive the phone calls from his coach about the practices he had missed. Maybe he was just hoping his father would give a damn.

Seeing Hiro's name, Kenji narrowed his eyes slightly. His tennis nemesis was always a sore spot and he did want one last match against the punk. Karen wasn't due home until the afternoon and this match would preoccupy him for the morning.

It'd be nice to see the crestfallen expression on Hiro's face when he lost, too.

Whistling to the music from his stereo, Kenji slung his underwear over his shoulder and sauntered into the bathroom for a shower.

* * *

"I'm so glad you're home, Karen," breathed Keiko happily, as she nibbled on some meat. "You're going to spoil me."

I blushed at her compliment. Having cooked the meal in her place, I was relieved it came out well. I hadn't cooked a meal in months. "You bet I'm going to spoil you." I winked at her, "just be aware that sometimes things might be too… crispy."

"You act like you've been starving since I've come home and started cooking." Yusuke shoveled back his bowl of rice and glared around the bowl.

Keiko pouted. "I have. You keep feeding me rice balls." She leaned toward me and whispered, "Yusuke won't even let me set the table." Turning back to Yusuke, she said, "I need more than rice."

"I put a pickled plum in it," he replied.

Valon's eyes were sparkling with mischief at the couple. "The Great Urameshi cooking," she grinned at Yusuke, "you're not so tough after all."

Keiko lifted her chin. "He may act tough, but you should know that he once wore my yellow –"

Yusuke pointed a finger at Keiko with a murderous glare. "We do not speak of that incident. If someone," his eyes swiveled over to me, "hadn't have opened their mouth!"

Ducking my head in shame, I murmured, "I said I was sorry." I remembered back to my own struggles with cooking. Giving Yusuke an apologetic smile, I decided to make amends for all the times I made fun of his meals. "I like the way you make onigiri. It's my favorite… thank you."

"O-o-o-h," he crossed his arms, "so now you thank me for all those times I slaved over the stove while you were studying. Thanks, but you're only several months overdue with the gratitude, kid."

"Well, I said it with interest," I joked at his grumpy scowl.

Glancing at Yusuke, Keiko lifted an eyebrow, "but you don't need the stove for rice balls."

Valon was shaking with laughter at the vein throbbing at Yusuke's temples. Shoveling my food down, I hurried to eat in case an argument exploded. There was no telling what would happen when those two fought, especially around delicious food.

Luckily, they didn't start a food fight. I thought Yusuke being protective over Keiko was cute, not that I would mention such a thing. After all, I did value my life.

Sixteen weeks into her pregnancy, Keiko was the epitome of happiness. She was showing greatly, but still managed to pull off the latest fashions. I doubt any amount of weight could deter Keiko's natural beauty. If anything, she seemed more beautiful. I think it was her eyes. The soft browns had been sparkling all throughout dinner and were more prominent every time she laughed.

"Is this Kenji's new tennis schedule," I asked Keiko while putting away the leftovers.

Keiko leaned over to peer at the paper that was pinned to the fridge with a smiley face magnet. Recognizing the dates, she nodded. "Yes – oh, he has a match tomorrow!"

Glancing at the opponent, I murmured, "yeah, and against Hiro."

"He's been really busy lately," Keiko hung her dishtowel up, "sometimes, I think he's up to something."

I turned around with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"He's gaining some muscles. Not that anything is wrong with that," she waved her hand in an offhand manner, "but he seems brawnier. Kenji must be doing some new exercise program." Keiko glanced around the kitchen to inspect the cleanliness. "Did you call him?"

"Yeah, earlier, but I'll see him tomorrow. He likes to turn in early before a match." Thinking of his match, I smiled hugely. "Are we going to see him?"

Placing her hands on her hips, Keiko lifted a brow. "Of course we are, since we're his number one fan base!"

I kept the little grin on my face while giving Keiko a hug. She swayed us slightly and I inhaled her familiar perfume, like the time we first met after the long absence. "I missed you," I mumbled for the sixth time since she arrived home from her meeting. Her protruding stomach made me bend awkwardly, but didn't bother me in the slightest. I couldn't wait until the baby was here to witness his mother's love.

"I missed you, too," she leaned away. "I kept thinking 'where is Karen when I needed her for my fat moments' and all I had was Kenji to comfort me. He's going to make some woman fall madly in love with him, that boy," she said fondly. "I'm so glad you met Valon. She's such a vibrant young woman." Keiko smoothed away my bangs. "She's even pushing you toward fashion! I was wondering when you'd start dressing up! I thought Yusuke and sumo was dragging you away from the fashion of dresses and heels."

"I dressed up sometimes," I defended myself. "I just prefer simplicity versus complexity." Keiko's cheery laugh fanned against my cheek. Smiling, I leaned forward to her cheek goodnight. "Hopefully, Valon didn't use up all the hot water. Goodnight!"

Trudging upstairs, I was preoccupied with staring at the carpet, lost in thought, and didn't notice Yusuke barreling downstairs. My forehead smacked into his hard chest and I went sailing backwards with a pained yelp. Yusuke caught me and set me back on my feet with his boisterous laughter.

"I think you dented my forehead," I grumbled with a grimace.

I guess the clumsiness would never truly leave me. I was born to disgrace myself. The harshness of Genkai and Lena could not chase away the klutz that resided within my bones.

Yusuke chuckled, "still clumsy as ever, kid – and I think _you_ dented in my chest with that thing you call a forehead." He flicked his index finger against my forehead.

I tried to hold my glare, but his grin made me smile. He ruffled the top of my head. "Night," I mumbled as I continued up to my room.

Stepping into my room, I saw Valon dancing to the music softly echoing from the computer's speakers. She nodded her head at me while towel drying her shoulder length hair. Shaking my head, I gathered up my pajamas for a shower.

With a yawn, I crossed the hall and entered the upstairs bathroom. The upstairs bathroom was always better because the temperature set quickly compared to the shower downstairs. It was also a tub and great for taking bubble baths. As I was adjusting the water, the door creaked open and a box went sliding across the floor. Furrowing my brows, I snatched up the box. Like the majority of the day, my eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"Valon," I hissed into the crack of the door that she left open. I held the bikini trimmer kit against the crack of the door and whispered, furiously, "what the hell?"

"Ooh," she cooed excitedly. "Try to make a heart! One time, I got mine bedazzled with a heart. I thought it was really cute."

"My lady bits aren't getting bedazzled!" Wrinkling my nose at the thought, I had to ask, "ew, does that hurt?"

Valon gave a mocking laugh. "What do you think they do – sew the jewels on?" She laughed again and pressed my back against the door to push it close. She fought back with surprising strength. "You just stick it on like a fake tattoo. It's really cute."

"Che," I scoffed. "It sounds ridiculous!"

"Ooh," she poked her head through the crack of the bathroom, "try the landing strip to your virgin –"

"Goddammit," I slapped her head with the box as she howled with laughter. "Get out!"

"_Karen Urameshi_," yelled Keiko from down below. "Did I just hear you say a forbidden word? You know the house rules!"

Valon was pushing against the door while I shoved back with irate yell to Keiko. "I said 'God, that's a cute rabbit!'"

"Or try going all bare!" Valon enjoyed torturing me.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled the door open and Valon collapsed onto the ground. I sank down beside her and put her in a headlock. With my other hand, I fumbled with the box to open it. "Tell me what design you want on your head, my dear!"

Valon struggled violently and jammed her elbow into my stomach. Grunting, I didn't have time to fight back as she twisted from my hold, knocked me onto my back, and straddled my waist. Her maniac laughter nearly drowned out the spray of the shower. She grabbed the trimmer and yelled, "I got it! The martini glass –"

I tried to fight the pin she had against my right wrist, but it was no use. However, she probably wasn't expecting me to deliver a punch with my other hand. I was weak as hell, but even my knuckles could cause a grimace to a human. Rearing back, I let my fist fly into her gut. "Damn you!"

"_Karen!"_ This time it was Yusuke's voice and I scowled.

Valon's eyes widened and she hunkered over me. I expected her to curse, but she was gasping with unbridled laughter. I think she loved fighting because she was laughing so hard, drool was trailing from her mouth. I should have pushed her away to avoid being covered in drool, but a few giggles left my lips in a strained gurgle. When she lifted her head, my entire body shook with mirth. Valon's face was turning a dangerous shade of red and she was squinting at me amidst her tears of laughter. My sides were beginning to ache, but I couldn't stop laughing.

Even after the bizarre laughter and fighting, I allowed Valon to cuddle against me in bed. Valon was a force of nature to deal with, but she was becoming an interesting friend. We were bonding – and not because she was clutching me to her as if I was a fat teddy bear or that she was drooling on my shirt. No, it was the bond of another close friendship.

I never thought I would have so many friends.

* * *

A/N: And thanks to **akasoeki** for reading through this! Thanks, girl!


	36. Hot, Cold, And Dangerous

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Six: Hot, Cold, And Dangerous

* * *

I eyed the crystallized teardrop atop my palm, enfolding the precious stone, as one would should he or her find the philosopher's stone. It was that rare and my fingers curled a tad to add extra protection in case I dropped the gem.

I wonder if Hiei did this – just sat there and watched his mother's frozen teardrop shining in the sun where it resembled a beacon of light amid stormy clouds. My fascination with the gem throughout my training was constant, because it had been my only linked to Hiei for three months. I would lie there in bed and dangle the necklace above my face. His necklace made his absence tolerable. It calmed my head whenever Genkai and Lena were pushing me toward madness.

It also hardened my heart against any warnings for my beloved demon.

-Flashback-

"He's a real cutthroat, that Hiei guy," whispered a tall, scrawny guard. I glanced up from tying my shoe to regard the two guards taking a break near the training grounds. "Shows no mercy, never backs down, and doesn't give a damn for anyone, not even for himself – and we're trusting intelligence reports to him?"

The short guard snorted. "He is a cutthroat, I agree, but you better watch your mouth, Frank. You're lucky to be let in on some of his records. His real files are locked up. What you read was created for baby eyes, like yourself!"

Frank pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Slipping a cigarette between his lips, he glared down at the older guard. "Shut up, Aldon. I'm not a damn baby. I've been in the services for two years."

"Yeah, well I got twenty years up on that," remarked Aldon. "I was around for those guys during the Dark Tournament, the Sensui case, and the Demon World Tournament." At that, Frank stared down at Aldon with an expression of awe. Aldon ignored the look, appearing casual, but his voice was low and serious, "since you're being sent out as base guard on Mukuro's lands for relay, I'll even give you some advice."

Frank waited.

"Don't get on Hiei's bad side," was all Aldon said for advice.

Snorting, Frank lit the tip of his cigarette with a glowing finger. "Okay, I know he's ranked, what was it," he thought for a moment, "lower B-class? That's impressive, but we're having round the clock guards nearby and he's under an oath not to attack us."

"Didn't you just say earlier not to trust him with our reports," inquired Aldon. "Son, you got something loose up there. Look," his voice lowered, "this wasn't in the report, because it's changed, but during the Demon World Tournament, they checked Hiei's energy levels and he was ranked in the S-class."

Frank's mouth fell open and the cigarette went crashing to the floor. "B-but that's the highest recognized class!"

"Same goes for Urameshi," continued Aldon, "and Kurama would have entered that class if he kept his demon form. This isn't something to play around with, Frank. If Hiei's using his dragon again, then it won't be long before he shoots back up. That dragon is deadly. I saw the tapes of that dark beast, and it would make you piss your diapers… Whatever is tying him to our side, well, let's just count ourselves lucky, man. We need him." Aldon stroked his beard, thoughtfully, "so stay on Hiei's good side. Do what he says, no matter what. You don't want to anger any of them, not now that they're back from the dead."

The two guards went silent, and I straightened beside Jet. We began heading toward the guards to exit the training grounds.

"… Do you think it's true, about him being thrown away by his own people," asked Frank cautiously, as if the subject were taboo. "I heard from another old guy that he's cursed. A fire demon born from ice – a direct opposition from his own people –"

"Frank," interrupted Aldon with a heavy, criticizing scowl, "it's probably best if you pretend like you never heard of that, you hear?"

As we were passing, Aldon and Frank bowed their heads slightly and chorused, politely, "have a good evening, priestess."

…

…

…

"I'm sorry you had to hear that," murmured Jet when we were out of earshot from the two guards.

"I think you wanted me to," I replied just as softly, "otherwise, you would have said something, like with the rumors of Yusuke's ancestry."

"It just worries me that you're with him." Jet's words rumbled from within his chest, quietly, but loud like a distant thunder. "You're my friend. I care about you." He paused as the tone of his voice entered into one of seriousness. I gave him my full attention. "You don't know how strong he really is and I don't think you should be alone when you tell him about your temple work. Demons have instincts too strong for a human to understand."

Hearing the familiar warning, one like Kurama's long ago, I lifted my head to give him a level gaze. His eyes were masked behind his glasses, but I could feel the sincerity rolling off him.

"Thank you for your concern, Jet," I answered with a small smile, but also with a slight hardness to my eyes. "Despite everything I've heard and any warnings, I still trust him. I'll _always_ trust him."

-End of Flashback-

Holding up the jewel, I allowed some sunlight that was peeking in through the closed curtains to filter through the stone until it sparkled. Shimmers of light danced off the surface like tiny fairies dancing on a summer's evening. I dangled the rare stone and the surface appeared to ripple.

Jet's warning of my relationship with Hiei echoed inside my head. I was reminded of Kurama's information about how Lena disliked Hiei, of the assurance Kurama had made to Koenma about our relationship, and of Kurama's warning. My mind then jumped to Yusuke's fight with Hiei, and then to Jet's subtle warning of caution. It seemed my relationship with Hiei was nothing but warnings, whether it was with shushed words or the glimmer of admonition across eyes.

Yukina had also had that warning look in her eyes when she had given me her brother's necklace – as if she was begging me not to give up on my relationship with her brother before there was anything to give up on. All these warnings were trying to close in on me, but my heart and head were too stubborn to heed them.

I wasn't going to give up. I did love him. Silently, I had handed him my heart long ago and his dark deeds could not frighten me away. His past wasn't pretty, but ribbons and bows hardly lined anyone's past these days. I realized there were things he had done that would cause grow men to cry – only, I just saw him. To me, he was a man of honor, bravery, strength, beauty, and my list went on for miles that may possibly stretch across all three worlds.

"_Hiei, as my people think of him, is the cursed child of fire. He was cast away from our floating island…"_

Hearing Yukina's words, I frowned while staring into Hiei's mother's frozen teardrop. The stone sparkled brightly, as if to keep my eyes trained onto the gem, but not even something so utterly beautiful could distract me from my dark demon.

I was abandoned by my parents. I never knew them. My name was given to me by the nun standing by to take me away to her sanctuary. I couldn't imagine what he had gone through at such a young age. I found goodness, parent-like love, even if I had to share such love with handful of children. But to be abandoned by his own people – the very thought made my heart fold in on itself.

_He was never loved,_ I thought sadly. _He's never known love._

I had understood those thoughts in Yukina's words and within her eyes, that plea for me to not give up. She, in a way, was warning me that he was not capable of loving because he had never known such an emotion. I think she knew that I saw that fading light within him, and she wanted me to protect the light from dying completely. I'd use every breath in me to keep those embers from smothering.

He would never think of himself as belonging to me, as it was the other way around – I belonged to him. He had proven that claim time and again with his dominance. But I wanted to prove that he did belong to me, too. He had my complete trust and love. He had my heart. I was going to love him. I was going to give him what he had been denied, because all I could really give him was my love. Compared to him, in all his fantastic strength and beauty, love was all I had to offer to such a magnificent man.

I wasn't strong. He had saved my life numerous times. Even if a poisonous snake slithered up, I would be unable to kill it, but I would throw myself in front of him to protect against the poison. I couldn't take care of him, as he had done for me, like buying a house and keeping me hidden from danger. I didn't have a great amount of money like him. I could keep cooking nice meals and even patch up his shirt, which was my own pathetic way to take care of him.

The only thing I could give fully was love.

And it was all his.

"_Hiei hasn't worn the necklace, or mine, for years now."_

Yukina's words reverberated loudly inside my head and I let the necklace pool into my palm. This wasn't my necklace. It was Hiei's necklace. Since coming back, I had taken care to keep the valuable gem hidden inside a small, velvet pouch. I wasn't sure when he was coming back, only that it was sometime this week. Even so, I didn't want to be seen wearing his mother's beautiful tear.

I was going to give it back to him. As for why he wouldn't wear the necklace, well, that was his own business. Yukina may have given the necklace to me, but it didn't feel right to wear something that wasn't mine.

It was really beautiful.

Smiling, I placed the gem carefully into the pouch. I stowed the gem in my bottom drawer beneath some clothes. Seeing the clothes, I grinned proudly. They were favorite pieces I had snatched from Valon's bags yesterday. I know she said to clean the closet of old outfits, but there were a few shirts and jeans that I wanted to keep. I really was going to dress more maturely, but I didn't see anything wrong with keeping my favorite pair of jeans for rainy days or wearing that comfortable t-shirt on days that were lazy. Everyone had such outfits, especially for period days. I couldn't very well go strutting around in a skirt on those gloomy days when I was feeling horrible and disgusting.

Of course, I might be lucky enough to not get a period. The day after my proposal to Genkai and Lena, they had this SDF woman (taller than Jet!) come chase me down for a checkup. She did all the usual stuff, vitals and whatnot, and then asked about my menstrual cycle. I answered every question. After all the twenty questions or so, she handed me this concoction. Wanting to eat a good, decent lunch before heading to my scheduled greenhouse session, I tipped back the glass of green slime while she was jotting down some notes. It didn't taste good. It made my toes curl. It made my head spin. It nearly made me retch because the stuff tasted like thick, cough syrup that somebody had burned. If you're wondering what burnt cough syrup taste like, it's absolutely revolting!

The SDF guard laughed at my face. She wasn't very nice. Once she was done laughing, she briskly explained what the concoction had been – it was birth control. In a business-like tone of voice, she explained that every priestess embarking to Demon World was recommended to take the birth control offered. When I asked why, she simply said that demon bandits had a habit of raping human women, or any women, really. I grimaced at her bland expression and the shrug she gave at the mention of rape.

Well, I didn't get to hear the recommended part of the birth control. I simply downed the glass before given the option to refuse. She was kind enough to add that it took about a month for the contraceptive to work through my system, that it didn't need to be retaken for another three months, and since I was learning herbs, I should be able to make my own solution in the future. Oh, she also, rather jadedly, mentioned that there were side effects. She didn't bother to elaborate. She just handed me a pamphlet and pointed to the door.

I read the pamphlet (the way she said side effects was creepy). I knew that this birth control mixture was quite effective and there was only a 0.01% chance of becoming pregnant. That's impressive, but I suppose it had to be rather strong if it were to work against demons. The birth control went right to work after residing in the system for a month and the side effects –

I didn't even make it to the side effects before running off to vomit into a row of bushes. I didn't even eat lunch that day or the next. For the first few days, I was horribly sick and having Valon as company that week, didn't help my flu-like symptoms. Valon said that she didn't get sick at all, but she did have her period for two weeks every month until her next dose and raged the entire time. However, Valon told me that Nessa didn't get periods anymore, but that she was horribly sleepy the first week of downing that stuff.

I guess I wouldn't know how my periods were until the end of the month. At least I wasn't sick anymore. If anything, I felt rather great.

Behind me, my door went flying open and I hurried to shut my drawer. It was Valon. At first, I thought she saw the clothes I had stolen from her sacks because she was glaring at me.

"You're not even dressed," she accused. I sighed in relief. "Isn't your boy's game in an hour?"

Sitting on the ground, I leaned against my dresser and stretched. "Yeah, but it won't take long to get there. The school's only a ten-minute drive."

Valon lifted a brow, as if I was going to need an extensive amount of time to dress. Shaking her head, she suddenly grinned and bounded to the closet. "Wear this today!"

She pulled out one of the new dresses I had washed last night. It was a simple white dress with a tiny, black, braided belt around the waist to give a little color. Taking the dress off the hanger, she tossed it to me and turned to her bag.

"Hey, any hot boys at your school," she asked casually, "not that I'm into kids. I like men."

"You're three years older." I chastised with a roll of my eyes. She wasn't that much older than high school kids were and age was just a number – or so I thought.

Turning around, she opened her mouth to make a remark, but paused. "That was fast," she tilted her head slightly as she pinned me with a curious gaze.

Did she think slipping on a dress was hard? All I had to do was whip off my nightclothes and don on the dress. I was practically ready. Living with Hiei for all those months had made me a fast dresser. Since I wore no makeup (I didn't trust myself to wield pointy objects near my eye), all I had to do was brush my hair and wash my face. That was my beauty regime in the mornings.

"Ready," I said simply.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Standing, I collected my hairbrush off the desk. I had already brushed my hair earlier, but there could be a tangle or two. Once the brush went through a few times cleanly, I gathered my hair up into a ponytail. I thought a nice ponytail would do this dress justice. I wanted to be casual and comfortable.

"How do I look?" I asked after I was done with my hair. I fingered the hem of my dress, wondering if it was too short. It was mid-thigh, but I think I pulled it off innocently enough with just a hint of playfulness.

"You look beautiful." Valon grinned and pointed at the full-length mirror hanging on the back of my closet door. "I was actually going to suggest you know, eyeliner or lipstick, but you don't need it. Now, as for me, I like a smoky look!" She dove into her bag. Whipping out her makeup bag, she crouched down next to the bottom of the mirror. "Oh, hey, I was going to give you one of these – I got several of these at that sale."

She threw a small tube in the air and I fumbled to catch the object. Snatching the tube with both hands, I stared down at the soft pink cylinder object. It was lip-gloss.

"That stuff is good," cooed Valon happily. "It's very light, not too shiny, and the flavor is really," she tapped her chin thoughtfully, "I don't know what it is, but it's soft like some sort of flower. It tastes nice. I always get this. Here, have another one."

Catching the same brand of gloss, I set the two tubes beside the bit of makeup I did have in one of my desk drawers. I had a bottle of concealer, but that was mostly for the bruises I would get from colliding into something, like the car window from Yusuke's reckless driving. I had a couple of lipsticks that had been given as a gift from Shizuru. One was long lasting and dusty pink. The other one was the same brand and same color type, but a bit brighter. Shizuru knew I would want natural colors. I smiled at that the sincere thought of her gift – even if I had never used the lipsticks. Too much had happened around the time of my birthday and wearing lipstick was the last thing on my mind.

Sitting at my desk, I dug around in the drawer. I had some jewelry, too. There was the silver bracelet band from Kenji. The one-inch band had what looked like vines engraved into the metal. I traced the path of the vines with a small grin. I slipped my wrist into the groove of the bracelet and returned to my search. I had a package of various hoop earrings from Keiko. I lifted a hand up to touch my ear. I hadn't worn earrings since meeting Hiei. My single piercings were still open, but I should probably put these gifts to use soon. As I was setting the earrings back down, I saw the necklace Kuwabara had given me. I laughed. There was a little sumo wrestler dangling from the chain.

"Do I look hot," announced Valon and disrupting my search. Turning, I gave her a once over as she twirled with a sway of her hips. She was wearing short shorts, but they were a decent length. Valon's yellow tank top looked pretty against her bronzed skin. And to top it off, she had a pair of cowgirl boots sitting off to the side.

"Where's your lasso," I teased her without answering her question. She did look hot, but she already knew that, obviously.

Patting her belt, she winked. "Right here and waiting for some hot Asians! You know, your entire family bunch is hot." I closed my drawer with a smirk. She knew that they weren't really my family, as I had told her of my situation. "You should see my uncles. They got guts out to here," she dramatically emphasized with her hands. "It's all them beans and fry bread." She moaned at the last word. "Now I'm getting homesick. By the way," she grabbed her boots, "don't you miss food back home? All the fatty stuff, like bacon and eggs," she asked curiously.

I pulled the strappy-heeled sandals from my closet. "Honestly, I've grown used to things here." I stared at the heels with some trepidation.

I hope I don't fall today…

Okay, I didn't fall. I had a little stumble, but that was only because Valon couldn't resist giving me a little shove down the last step near the tennis courts. Luckily, no one saw. It would have been embarrassing!

"I'm going to surprise Kenji," I announced once Yusuke found a good spot in the stands.

Pushing his sunglasses up over his forehead to rest atop his head, Yusuke dug out his wallet. "Hey, get two bottles of water and I want something sweet," he pulled out some money, but not before glancing at Keiko, "babe, you want anything besides the water?"

At the question, Keiko looked ready to answer, but then slumped slightly, saying dejectedly, "no, but make it three waters. I'm really thirsty."

"Keiko, do you like dark chocolate," I opened the flap of my purse and pulled out the thin bar. "I heard it was good for you." Actually, I had researched a bit of the foods for pregnancy. Jet was supposed to send out some books from the temple for me to read. I wanted to know the in and out of her pregnancy.

Keiko's face lit up in surprise. Taking her expression as a yes, I handed her the chocolate. Yusuke eyed the candy bar with a frown. "Hey, where's mine?"

"I'm getting it," I said while snatching the money he had pulled from his wallet.

Before I could flutter away, I saw Valon talking to one of my former classmate's older brother. _Wow_, I blinked. _She works fast._ I saw her giggle at something he said and Yusuke glanced over with a raised eyebrow. Smiling, I turned away.

"You better not go flirting with any boys," warned Yusuke loudly. "We're here to watch a game, not eye up the kids."

Stiffening, I flashed him a murderous look as a few spectators laughed quietly at his outburst. Turning away, I headed down the set of stairs from the stands.

"Cause I can see everything up here –"

"Yusuke," hissed Keiko.

I grinned as I heard a slight slap from behind me. Just for that, I'm keeping the change!

* * *

Kenji slipped on his white headband and grabbed his equipment. Dressed in his team uniform, he slammed his locker shut and headed outside. He was feeling pretty good today, especially after his warm up run. He needed to do a few more stretches but he'd loosen his muscles on the court.

Outside, he could hear the chatter of the crowd beyond the blooming trees in the direction of the tennis courts. He hadn't played a game of tennis in a long time, but he made a few of the practices since school started. His coach wasn't too happy with his lack of enthusiasm for the sport, but he had other things to attend to in his life. _Last game of my life,_ he thought wryly. _I better make it count._

It was as he was walking toward the courts that he saw a long legged beauty standing before him. His eyes skimmed the length of long, bare legs – really good-looking, no, _sexy_ legs that were tanned slightly beneath a little white dress. His eyebrows furrowed, wondering whom this young woman was waiting on as they were behind the gym. He couldn't help but stare at her lovely backside, the perfect, rounded hips, and up her sides –

"Karen?" his voice cracked a little in surprise when she turned toward him. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment. "_Karen?"_

Smiling, Karen tilted her head and eyed his exposed arms. "How come every time I come back home you look different every single time?" she asked jokingly.

To say he was taken by surprise was an understatement. He was speechless for a good full minute. He simply stood there staring at the way the dress hugged her upper body. It was just a dress. He had seen Karen in a dress before, but she appeared different this time. _Oh man_, he thought wildly as he stared at the smooth thighs before him. He hated Hiei. _That lucky bastard_, he groaned. Kenji had a sexy best friend!

That was just it – he had a sexy best friend, but a best friend nonetheless.

And his stupor fell from his face.

She was still his best friend and he had given up on anything romantic with her a long time ago. With that thought, he dropped his small duffel bag and opened his arms with a crooked grin. Giving a little laugh, Karen launched herself forward and into his arms. Once he heard her familiar laugh, he was Kenji again. He hauled her little body up against him and spun around with an echoing laugh.

"I could say the same to you," he remarked as he set her down. "Wait," Kenji frowned, "I thought you weren't getting in until this afternoon?"

"I came home early. I called you yesterday, but I forgot you were still in school."

He scratched the back of his head, "oh, my phone's dead. Sorry, I just," he stumbled a bit over his excuse for why he hadn't received her call. In truth, he had broken his phone during his trip. "I just got lazy and didn't plug that crap in."

He saw the uncertainty in her blue eyes and knew she hadn't bought the lie. She knew him too well to fall for any of his fibs.

Her eyelids lowered for a moment, seeming to think over his words. They needed to talk, but now wasn't the time. She appeared to be thinking along the same lines, too, because she gave him a small smile. "It's okay. I had company – remember Valon? She came home with me, but she leaves tonight."

Hearing the name, he looked up at the sky. "Is she that girl that you had lab with?"

"No," Karen snatched up his duffel bag. "She was at the temple with us."

"Oh –"

"Hey, Moto," greeted a cool voice. "I'm surprised you get to play." Kenji tongued the inside of his cheek with annoyance. "How many practices did you miss? Not to mention all the classes you've been ditching."

Karen's blue eyes darkened in confusion and he rubbed a hand over his face. "Go away Seyu," he muttered between his fingers.

"Is this who you've been cutting classes with," Hiro Seyu asked instead of heeding Kenji's aggravated demand. Inching around Kenji, Hiro smirked down at Karen. Amazingly, Hiro's eyebrows furrowed at the sight of her face. "I know you," he said to Karen. "Karen Urameshi, right?"

Karen's eyes widened in surprise at Hiro's recognition and she was about to answer, but thought better of it.

Narrowing his eyes, Hiro inched forward. "You're not finishing the year," he asked, almost softly, but it was just how he voiced the question. "Pity, Urameshi," he leaned down, peering into Karen's face. Kenji was ready to push away Hiro, but didn't want to risk his temper at his nemesis. Smirking, Hiro said, snidely, "I heard you're an orphan." Surprised flashed again within Karen's eyes and Hiro's leer stretched. "And I heard that you orphan girls, well," Hiro moved quickly and his hand slipped under her dress, "you're easy –"

Kenji swung his arm out and his elbow connected against Hiro's chest. Flying back, Hiro hit the pavement with a pained groan. "Try that again," threatened Kenji with a tense jaw. "Go on, Seyu," he stepped forward. "I'm not above teaching a lesson to your juvenile tactics."

Laughing, Hiro pushed himself off the ground. "Really, Moto – well c'mon then, rich kid! Is that how you're still allowed to play," he taunted with a hint of jealousy, "because daddy donates? He donated a lot of money to get this place rebuild. What else are you getting away with?" Face twisting into fury, Hiro rounded on Karen. "So what does Moto pay to keep you?"

"Are you finish?" asked Karen quietly, but with a hint of coolness. "It's very immature to go starting arguments when we meant you no harm. Act your age."

It was a simple statement, but something in Karen's tone caused Hiro to back up a step. His eyebrows dipped together in confusion as he glanced at the two and he realized that they didn't look like normal teens. There was an odd harshness to each of their eyes that made them older than they were, as if they had aged greatly since the earthquakes last year. He even heard it in the way Moto had refrained from using any crass words like he used to do during the fights he inflicted on the once scrawny kid. Urameshi didn't even slap him, as a number of girls would have done – she was actually reprimanding him as an adult would to a kid! She sounded like his mother and he almost felt the need to apologize.

Collecting his equipment off the ground, Hiro shrugged, "whatever. See you on the courts, Moto."

Silently, the two best friends watched Hiro slouch away. When he was far enough away, Karen's lips stretched into a charming grin. "I got that line from one of Keiko's soaps. It's amazing what you pick up from such dramatic shows."

"Did you see his face? You might as well have grounded him with how he reacted to you."

"Really," Karen handed him his bag. "I was ready to shake my finger, but I thought that would be too much. How did he know I was an orphan?"

Kenji slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and wrapped an arm around Karen's shoulders. "His mom's the secretary, remember? He probably just snuck into the files, like the slimy creep he is." Leading Karen over to the tennis courts, he bent his head. "Now give my lucky headband your lucky kiss."

Wrinkling her nose, Karen leaned away. "Did you wash it?"

"I think so."

Rolling her eyes, Karen leaned up and kissed the band. "Okay, now go lose!" Seeing Kenji's crestfallen face, Karen laughed. "Oh, you know you're going to win!"

With a smirk, Kenji opened the gate, but did a double take into the stands. "_Damn_, is that Valon?"

"Kenji, focus," demanded Karen. "Hit on her after your victory!"

"Right!" He rushed off onto the green courts, "but tell her I got some Indian in me, too – remember? I got some Cherokee blood in me." He glanced back into the stands. "Mm, sexy Pocahontas."

"Nope, you're on your own this time."

"C'mon! I'm your best friend." Kenji pressed up against the cage around the courts and watched Karen striding away with a smile. "You can't abandon me in my time of need."

"Remember how you abandoned me to Yusuke and Hiei's anger in the temple," asked Karen with glinting eyes. "Yeah, I didn't forget. Try to hit Hiro with the ball, please!"

"Yes, dear," he saluted his friend.

It was nice to have her back in his life again. It didn't matter if they went months without seeing each other, because they had that rare friendship that would never break. They snapped back together like a rubber band and picked up where everything left off.

Yes, he definitely felt good – good enough to enjoy beating Hiro Seyu.

* * *

Valon sat beside her friend and her family, watching Karen's friend down below. She had never seen a game of tennis in person before – she had always thought it was boring. However, the young men below were exciting to watch. Apparently, the two were the school's top two players and it showed. She didn't know which side of her neck was going to get a whiplash, but she was bound to receive one with every swivel of her head to keep track of the tennis ball.

Karen's friend was tall, slender, and slightly buff – he was extremely handsome with the way his uniform shirt stuck to him like a second skin. At first, she thought he was a silly with the way he kept glancing up at her and giving her a little wave. Then, he took off his glasses, set them aside, and began his warm ups. When the match began, any silliness melted away as a fierceness set into this boy's eyes. The way he faced down his opponent, how he moved, the mask of his emotions – it made Valon breathless.

She didn't know tennis guys were so hot.

"He's really good, huh," whispered Karen in a sly voice, as if she knew what Valon was thinking.

"Yeah, but he lost the first match of the set… and he's losing this one, too," Valon tilted her head, trying to remember how the game was won.

Munching on the popcorn Yusuke had offered her, Karen didn't seem perplexed at the news. "Kenji's just getting started," she answered with complete confidence. "He'll win this match and the next – he'll be the winner, trust me. Since I've known him, Kenji's never lost a game. Hiro's good, but Kenji's better."

Returning back to the game, Valon didn't miss the casual looks from some nearby boys that were aimed in Karen's direction. She couldn't help but grin at how Karen paid no mind to the attention. The young woman didn't even seem aware of them, as she was caught up in her friend's match. Valon doubted the girl could be swayed by any guy beside Hiei – that demon had one dedicated girlfriend. Karen could easily have her pick, but she was smitten with a demon that hadn't taken her on a date? Valon would have given up long ago. That was absurd!

But the demon was in for a surprise when he came home! Valon was proud of her work… especially with the work she had done when Karen had been preoccupied in the shower last night.

After leaving the young woman alone, Valon had rushed to her own shopping bags. She was paid handsomely for her work with the temples (hey, they needed some compensation) and decided that her friend needed some exciting chaos in her life. So, Valon stepped up to the plate.

She had purposely tossed in a couple of thongs into the young woman's underwear drawer. She doubt Karen would find them right away. The drawer was a mess, much like Valon's own at home, and had pretty undies scattered into heaps of colors. The blue garter Valon had bought was placed inside Karen's desk drawer. That was just too pretty to pass up during the sale! She also hung a very _little_ dress in the back of the closet where Karen had stashed away the lingerie set. It was black and so short that it just barely covered the goods. The sexy number was also strapless and dipped low enough to show a good amount of cleavage. She knew Karen's size, but went a bit smaller. The stilettos for the dress were stashed in a shoebox near the back where Valon had written a brief message. Such a dress wasn't meant for public, but for the bedroom, it was all good fun.

If Karen never found the items, well, maybe that demon would be curious enough to go snooping around in the closet or drawer. Men were such predictable creatures, demon or human. He'll wonder what else Karen has been hiding once he sees how sexy Valon has made her! It was her finest work, if she said so herself.

_I hope he does appreciate her,_ thought Valon fondly. Valon may be tough as nails, but she was a sucker for romance. She wanted her new friend to be whisked away into happiness! The world could use more love, anyways.

There was a collective gasp among the crowd and Valon's mischievous grin fell from her face. Immediately, she noticed everyone standing to his or her feet. She jumped up and glanced at the scoreboard.

_Holy crap_, she mouthed. She had missed the previous match and now, it was the winning match. Did he just zip through the matches while she had been drifting away in her schemes of love? She didn't think she had zoned off for so long, but she must have if it was now –

"Game point," whispered Karen furiously. "Kenji's going to win. I told you."

Kenji was serving and Valon stared in awe along with everyone else. Before he tossed up the ball, Kenji pointed his racket toward the stand… toward her. He gave a wink. Karen giggled. Valon blushed like a schoolgirl. The ball sailed high up, hanging for a split second before falling back down to the earth. Kenji's racket connected loudly with the ball and it flashed across the court, over the net, toward the far corner where Hiro missed his chance to stop the ball.

Kenji won.

"W-what he do that for," asked Valon in regards to Kenji pointing his racket to her.

Karen and Keiko both laughed. "He was dedicating his winning shot to you," explained Keiko with a bright smile. "He does it to us all the time just before he finishes his game."

"He's being nice," added Karen, but then her voice dropped, "or you caught his eye. Don't worry, I won't tell him that you drooled when he lifted up his shirt to wipe his face."

Punching Karen's arm, Valon hissed, "I did not!"

"Yep, the dry drool is still there, too." To Valon's horror, Yusuke had overheard Karen's words. How did he hear her over all the noise? "Don't worry," he mimicked Karen with a flippant tone, "I _will_ tell him that you drooled when the kid –"

"Keiko, he called me fat again!" Valon yelled before he could finish.

"Yusuke," shouted Keiko with a raised eyebrow.

"W-what," he spluttered. "Do you think I would say that seeing as I'm the only guy surrounded by three grown women?" When Keiko didn't believe him, he turned to Karen. "Karen, did I say the f-word?"

"What word was that?" asked the young woman innocently.

Valon laughed at the vein throbbing along Yusuke's temple. She was going to miss these guys when she left tonight. She hoped she could visit again, but in the meantime, she needed to work on her chopstick handling skills.

* * *

Koenma stared at me.

I stared back.

His eyes narrowed slightly, assessing me across his desk.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to appear unruffled in the slightest.

…

…

…

"I have a feeling I am going to be murdered." Koenma shook his head, but reached for a document and his stamp. "It is your choice though and I apologize for that in the beginning."

Giving the prince a sincere smile, I soothed the apology with, "it's okay. I understand your position, but all I'm asking is a chance to prove myself and to be allowed to break the news to Hiei."

He still looked uncertain, but stamped the document. For the entire worlds, Koenma appeared to have signed a death warrant. I was all smiles when he handed me the paper. "Hand this in to SDF. Yusuke is in a meeting, but he should be done within the next hour."

"Thank you, Prince Koenma. Have a nice day."

As I was turning to leave, he stopped me with belatedly compliment. "If I may say so, you look very pretty, Karen." He gave a fatherly smile and I returned it happily.

* * *

His life revolved around nothing but dull, mindless meetings and training equally dull, mindless beings for the expansion of border patrol. He knew the inner workings of Demon World, as he did serve one of the lords of Demon World. Politics were complicated enough, but the damn Spirit World government felt the need to inform every one of the problems that seemed unimportant to him. He made the negotiations. He did his work. Now he wanted to leave such mundane talking.

The meeting room was crowded and various people were situated along the round table. The current issue of importance was Enki's disappearance. Spirit World seemed to think the demon's absence was strange, but anyone who knew Enki, knew that he liked his solitude. He hated politics as much as any demon and until the Demon World Tournament at the end of the year, that demon was going to remain in hiding.

The solution was easy. Simply send out more scouts into the uncharted territories and search out the large demon. Hiei suggested to the East where the mountainous regions were located, but there was argument that Enki was seeking his peace elsewhere in the know territories. If that was the case, then where the hell was he?

Hiei knew better. He had been to the uncharted territories and sought his own solitude within the deep forests. Disappearing out there was easy – actually, disappearing in Demon World hardly needed any effort if one knew where to go. Spirit World had limited abilities in Demon World. There were asking for his jagan, but unless he was greatly connected to Enki, his eye would come up empty. If he were able to find Enki, then wouldn't he have already sought for Cain to end this madness? A majority of Spirit World's ambassadors needed their throats slit for their stupidity.

Aside from that issue, it was mandatory for him to sit in at the meetings. He needed to be up to date on the other issues personally before he left for Demon World in a month. Mukuro would want the latest from his tongue. She didn't trust Spirit World completely. Demons never trusted Spirit World completely.

He was staring at the papers before him, hardly paying attention, now that the meeting was under wraps, when there was a soft knock at the door. Someone was always interrupting the meeting, usually ogres running errands, so he didn't bother acknowledging the intruder.

But then he caught a familiar scent…

His eyes focused sharply on the paper as he concentrated on the scent. It had been three months since he had a whiff of her, but he'd know her scent anywhere, even if the room was clouded with the odor of a pollutant pond. A second later and the heat simmered beneath his skin. Then, the connection buzzed to life. It was one after the other – all the many ways in which he was bonded to his downfall.

He heard the muffled clicks of footfalls and he lifted his eyes. He spotted the black, high heels lined with teasing lace. He didn't know why he paid such attention to the shoes, but he was staring at them intensely. His eyes continued up what seemed like an endless amount of bare skin. The shapely calves were toned nicely, showing the length of her legs with each step. He admired the flash of silky looking thighs until he was blocked by the black, mini-pleated skirt. The peach tone of the woman's shirt seemed to bring out the slight tan of the woman's soft skin. His eyes zeroed in on the one shoulder that was bare from the way her shirt slid off fashionably.

His mind was blank. All he seemed to be able to do was drink in the sight of the woman walking across the room. She bent down to whisper something into Koenma's ear and the curtain of brown hair hid her bare shoulder from view.

Somewhere, in the very back of his mind, he knew that was his mate. He had never seen her dressed in such a way, but here she was, striding toward Koenma's desk as if she did so her entire life. How was it possible for her to be even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her? Where was that awkward human girl that constantly tripped over her own two feet? Now, here was a girl, a _woman_, walking confidently in heels and showing the most skin he had ever seen. Those dresses in Shirakawa-go had been nothing compared to that skirt gracing her slender hips.

"Good thing Lena had you bring this." Koenma sighed in relief. "It was careless of me to forget such an important document. I thought I had picked everything up in my earlier meetings. Thank you."

"It's no problem," she straightened. "Sorry for interrupting. She told me to just barge on in, but ignore me now." She turned away with a gentle smile.

"Wait, will you hand this to Jorge?" Koenma handed her a slip of paper with a hushed whisper. "It's my order for dinner."

Giving another polite smile, Karen bowed her head and headed toward the door. Her heels clicked softly along the floor. Hiei followed her with his eyes and so did a few other occupants in the room. He didn't know how to feel about that – his mind was still reeling from her presence. She left without a backward glance, taking those legs, the scent, and soft voice with her as she had done constantly in his dreams during the long three months. His ghost left him sitting there feeling somewhat lost.

When the meeting resume, he came back to his senses and began silently reprimanding himself for acting so foolishly.

Damn.

But what was she doing in Spirit World?

His eyes narrowed.

* * *

"Yes, I did sign the document," I answered into the cellphone. "I explained everything to Koenma and he gave his official stamp."

"This is good news." Jet's voice rumbled from the phone. "Did you hide your equipment?"

By equipment, Jet meant my gun, research manuals, and dried herbs that I had with me. As soon as Valon had left six days ago, I had retrieved my bag from the back of my closet. Inside, I had stashed away my things. The herbs didn't give off a smell that Jet could pick up on, but Hiei had sharp eyes. The only place I could find was the loose floorboard at the bottom of my closet.

Discreetly, I snuck into Yusuke's toolbox and found the necessary tools. I tried to remember Hiei's explanation of tools, but there were still a mystery to me. However, I was intelligent enough to find the file needed to help pry up the floorboard. I had done a similar thing at the orphanage when hiding away the money I had been saving for when I came of age. It was actually rather roomy down there – enough that I could hide my tiny gun, the few manuals, and fancy fanny pack with the pouches of herbs. It really just resembled a belt with various bags along the length. I told Jet that it made me feel like an explorer wearing the cool belt.

I doubt Hiei would search my closet. If so, I had that lingerie set in the back that might halt his prying eyes. I had never been able to hide anything from Hiei. I had a bit of an advantage now that he was refraining from entering my head and if he did so, I could block him. But Hiei didn't need to see inside my head to know if anything was up. He could read me very easily and I was going to have to tread carefully, simply toe around just to keep from slipping in front of him.

I covered the floorboard with all my shoes and even threw some books among the pile. I wasn't too messy of a person, but cluttered piles chased away people. There was even a shoebox inside that I had pushed into the mass of shoes.

I don't know how long I could keep up this charade. I had a feeling he would know something was up and I was afraid I would crack at any simple-minded questions. I was going to have to change the topic, but as for how – well, I was still working on that.

"Yes, sir," I joked, because Jet voiced the question sharply, like a commanding officer.

After my meeting with Koenma, I had come back home with Yusuke. It was nearing evening and the air was getting nippy, but I needed to find a safe place to talk to Jet. If Yusuke found it odd that I went walking into the forest wearing heels, he didn't say anything. I wasn't worried. Yusuke was preoccupied with Keiko these days. He just reminded me to come in to help Keiko with dinner later.

I took daily walks these days. I had been home for entire week and still no sign of Hiei. It was glum work waiting on that special someone. I don't know how Keiko did it. I was constantly looking out the window, looking over my shoulder, and looking into my tea dregs for any sign!

Yet, today had been the warmest day of my life.

I couldn't explain it. It happened when Lena had me disrupt one of Koenma's meetings to return a document he had left in one of the rooms earlier. I always hated interrupting people speaking. The entire room felt stiff and foreign. I could feel multitude of eyes on me as I walked up to Koenma's desk. There was a brief moment where I stumbled near Koenma's desk, but I played it off by leaning down to whisper in Koenma's ear.

I don't know if it was the eyes of strange people or the heavy air of a crowded room, but my entire body felt flushed and tingly. It almost reminded me of Hiei's warmth. I was tempted to search the crowd, but it would have only ended up in me looking away dejectedly once he was nowhere to be found. Even now, I felt warm… I was feeling really warm.

"I'll send those books you requested when I return to the temple next week." I awakened from my daze with a jerk. Staring into the distance, I listened quietly. "I'll also work on a few herb combinations. Remember, you need to work in the time to keep your muscles loose. It's important now that we're getting things underway."

I sighed into the receiver. "I know, but that's just it." Closing my eyes, I bent my head and rubbed at my temple. "We need to talk."

"About what," asked dark voice from behind me.

My eyes snapped open at the familiar husky baritone that sent a shiver dancing along my spine like a hand zipping down a row of piano keys. Instantly, my body awakened, as if it had been sleeping all this time. I could feel the tiny hairs on my arms standing on in, but not in fear. That voice was making my stomach muscles clench tightly. I prayed this wasn't some dream again. I was almost afraid to turn around to what was surely emptiness awaiting my searching gaze, but turn I did.

It _was_ Hiei.

I continued to hold the phone to my ear, unsure if Jet had said anything in the time that Hiei had spoken. Three months without a word or sight of him and seeing him again was causing all my emotions to rage within my heart. I could feel the cage inside me rattle. It was the cage inside my heart where I had locked away my feelings for him to keep myself sane during his absence. Only that little gem had given me enough comfort, as if it were that tin cup I was banging along the bars to keep myself entertained. But in spite of the cage, my emotions had leaked through the bars for every day that neared his arrival. Now, everything was pouring forth in waves.

He was leaning against a tree across from me with his hands in his pockets. The sinking sun was casting shadows along his face, but his eyes were a deep red and burning like the sun itself. His shirt billowed a bit in the soft breeze. His face was masked, completely devoid of anything. The planes of his face were hard cut as always, emphasizing his good looks and his coldness.

Three months for him had simply been three months. He was aloof and guarded while I was nearly breathless at the sight of him.

"Karen," asked Jet into the phone.

I snapped back to life. Hearing his voice, I almost flashed a startled look in Hiei's direction. I had no idea how long he had been standing there, but now I recognized why I had felt so warm today. And I realized that Hiei had been in the office that last time. I was sure of it.

The question was if he had been watching me in the forest while I sought privacy.

Giving a hurried smile, as if Jet could see, I said, "Duh, Kenji. You said yourself that we needed to talk."

"I see," murmured Jet, catching on to my obvious hint at an unwanted audience.

When Jet hung up, I lowered the phone. Nervous now, I held the phone within my hands and met Hiei's unreadable gaze. "Hello." Immediately, I felt like slapping my forehead at the shy greeting. Well, at least I didn't stutter.

He didn't say anything. His silence reminded me of all the times he had ignored me in the beginning. I still had feelings for him. I was still horribly attracted to him. Only now, I was unsure of how to act after such a long time. All the confusion of my emotions, the longing for him, and his silence – I felt like crying at the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings.

"Who was that?"

I guess it was stupid to assume he would say hello, too. I had high hopes sometimes. Casually, I answered lightly, "Kenji –"

"Don't lie to me," he warned dangerously.

This is how our reunion was going to start? With a fight? No, I was supposed to wow him with these pretty clothes! _He doesn't even notice me_! Maybe the side effects of that horrid tasting birth control were still in play because I was ready to burst into tears. I told Valon repeatedly that Hiei just wasn't like normal men and she still squished me into these outfits – these cute outfits that I was starting to like and he didn't even notice.

The tears didn't fall, but I stared at the ground in case.

"Are you going to answer me," he demanded and I heard the crunch of grass.

Glancing up, I watched him slowly walk towards me. His footsteps were precisely exaggerated to intimidate me into answering. It worked. I backed away and my phone fell from my hands. I wasn't scared of him. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but my actions were automatic.

When he neared, I could feel his body heat. Even in heels, I still had to lift my chin in order to meet his gaze. He was a couple of feet from me when I noticed his crimson eyes. They were darkened, smoldering in the dying light of the sun. The intensity of his eyes almost made me gasp. My heart thudded. It had been thudding since his first words, but now I felt the brutality of every beat. There was a heated ache low in my belly. My inner thighs twitched at the storm raging within his eyes.

I was a human girl, right down to the core. My emotions were visible despite how hard I tried to hide them to keep from annoying him. I remembered my vow to make him see that I loved him. I didn't plan on saying I love you every day, but every few weeks, or whenever he came home – I think my human emotions were safe to express.

Standing my ground, I allowed him to near me. I was hesitant as I lifted my hand up to his face when he was close enough to touch. "I missed you," I whispered with a small tremble, as if I was trying to clasp my teeth on the words to hold them in – but I did miss him.

The storm within his eyes stilled, clearing a bit, as if I were staring into the eye of the storm. I saw something, a soft something swim across the pools of blood at my soft admission.

Again, he was silent and I felt odd holding my hand up in the air, near his face, but not touching him. He had stopped moving. A tiny step separated us. My emotions were already a mess and I didn't like the coldness he was trying to force back into our relationship. It was almost as if he had hardened himself during the three months. He had gained some semblance of control to push me away and such a thought scared me.

"_Shows no mercy, never backs down, and doesn't give a damn for anyone, not even for himself…"_

Refusing to teeter on the edge any longer, I stepped closer to him. I wasn't giving up on him. Those guards had it wrong. Hiei cared. Everyone was wrong. He does give a damn.

Letting my body guide me, I pressed up against him. I placed my hands on his shoulders and tilted my face up to kiss along his jawline. His body tensed, startling me. He hadn't tensed around me in such a long time and the coiling of his muscles caused a zing of brief panic. The heat of his body seeped through my thin shirt. It was deliciously warm against the dropping temperature of the approaching darkness. However, his tightening muscles added a shiver of ice, like cubes dropping into hot liquid. The ice cubes sizzled, trying to pierce through the heat.

Needing to be closer, I allowed my hands to glide down his chest and slip around him. I trembled at the fact that I was finally holding him in my arms, even if he wasn't holding me. I think I would be happy anyways if he allowed me to hold him without any interference. My lips trailed from his jaw and down to his neck. His skin was hot and burning my lips. His scent was smoky and spicy, like the aromas of one that spent too much time roaming among nature.

Moved back up to his face, I kissed near the corner of his mouth. "I missed you so much," I mumbled beside his lips.

I waited for him to respond, but he was stiff. He wasn't moving. Did I lose him already? Maybe I didn't appeal to him. Maybe my actions were appalling to him. Maybe –

His left arm wrapped around me, crushing me against him. I could feel the bandages around his right hand scratch against my skin as he cupped my cheek. The kiss started off shaky, almost desperate with his lips lightly skimming along mine in an unsure caress. Finally, he bit down once on my lower lip and that was all it took to make the cool waters boil.

I didn't know we were so close to a tree, but a few backward steps and the back of my legs met the cool bark. His tongue was demanding, like a violent painter where each stroke created a defiant streak of color. I moaned into his mouth and my knees buckled. I fought to keep myself standing by snaking my arms back around his neck.

I couldn't imagine that this was happening. Every time he kissed me, I wondered why he chose me to be the recipient of his skillful tongue. Every time he touched me, I wondered why I was so lucky to have him so close to me.

His hand was slipping beneath my shirt and I didn't stop him this time. His entire palm covered my left breast and his touched burned through the lace of my bra. It was nothing but lace. The cups were absent and the thin lace covering my chest was hardly a barrier to his rough hands.

"Oh god," I cried.

"You're supposed to scream out my name, little fool." He reprimanded with a soft nip at my exposed shoulder.

"Oh Hiei," I hurried to correct.

His dark laugh fanned into my ear, but too soon, the husky chuckle was gone. "I can smell you," he breathed. It almost sounded pained, as if he were being tortured. "_Kami_, _I can finally smell you_."

I didn't know how to respond. I didn't understand what he was saying. I was lost in the haze of his kisses and large, burning hands. Dazedly, I heard the sound of pants being unbuckled. There was the sound of metal ringing and I glanced down. I was dimly amazed that he could remove his belt with one hand so easily. My astonishment faded when I saw his bandaged hand slip under my skirt and it was such an erotic sight. When I realized that he was pulling at my panties, I rushed to halt his hand.

His head dipped down to capture my lips. "Don't fight me, Karen."

Were we really going to have sex outside, against this tree, with only my panties gone, and his pants unbuckled? I know beggars can't be choosers, but I thought we would be in a bed.

"_Karen, you're a grown woman," chided Lena, "but be responsible."_

I was ready to scowl at Lena's words from earlier today when she had asked if I took the birth control solution. I was living in the moment. I was already drowning in the heat. He brushed aside my hand, pulled the fabric down, and the panties went sliding down my legs with ease. It was as if his mere touch frightened the fabric into fleeing toward the ground, where they sought sanctuary by pooling at my feet.

But she was right. My birth control wasn't active for another – I tried to count, but counting in this intimate situation was futile. I couldn't get past one.

"P-protection," I gasped against his lips.

"Not the first time." Then, teasingly, he said, "I thought you wanted children."

_Oh no_, I moaned. Strangely, I wanted no barriers between us either – but I knew the risks! I knew pregnancy can happen on the first try and I could not afford to become pregnant, not when my life was too confusing and dangerous. Only, I couldn't fight him. I couldn't fight him this time. All my self-control was gone.

"No, no, no…" I protested weakly, but even to my ears, the pleas sounded unlike themselves. It sounded like I was begging him not to stop. It could also be because my hands were fisted into his shirt, pulling him closer despite my breathless objections.

_Please, virgin deity, help me_! I was pleading to a goddess I had made up on the spot. I was praying silently for the help of virgins everywhere to lend silent aid in helping me fight off the turmoil of pleasure and desire. This was bad. This was bad. This was a good, delicious feeling kind of bad… but still very bad.

His arm wrapped under my bottom, ready to lift me up and my legs twitched as they prepared to wrap around his waist –

"_Fuck_," he hissed and the venomous swear startled me.

"What did I do," I automatically asked.

Straightening, he caged me in within his arms by bracing his hands against the tree. His breathing was ragged in my ear and caused my neck to break out in goose bumps.

After a few minutes of our harsh breathing, he said, coldly, "a guard is coming."

My eyes widened in alarm. "And you're just now telling me!" Despite our odd reunion – his coldness, my recklessness, and the erotic situation – I couldn't help but shove at his chest in an annoyed way. He didn't budge an inch. "We've been standing here for several minutes, Hiei, and I'm not even wearing panties!" Glancing down, I searched for the yellow lacy garment. "Oh no, where are my panties?"

Unperturbed by my missing panties, Hiei calmly buckled his pants. Either I kicked the garments somewhere or they were taken, because the underwear was nowhere in sight. I'm not sure where they could have gone. I don't remember kicking away from them. All I remember was fire, fire, and more steamy fire.

Huffing, I fixed my shirt and smoothed a hand along my skirt. My skirt was long enough to hide my nakedness, but I felt like the moment someone saw me, it would be known that I was without underwear. I felt exposed. The icy temperature of the evening air was nippy without that scrap of fabric to protect my lower half.

With a sigh, I inched around Hiei and ran a hand through my hair to make the strands presentable. It was nearly dark and I couldn't find my panties. However, I did find my phone easily enough as it was lying several feet away. Swiftly, I picked it up. When I turned around, I saw my panties caught in a tuff of grass at the base of the tree. Hurrying over, I was ready to snatch them up until they blurred from view. I watched Hiei stick the yellow lace into his pocket.

"Hiei," I reached toward his pocket, "what are you doing?"

"You'll get these back later." Wrapping a hand around my wrist, he pulled me in to kiss my lips gently. "I also expect you to be honest when we finish our discussion." His eyes narrowed and the red irises made my face burn. He was very angry earlier and now I understood why he had acted so coldly toward me. At least I melted away some of the anger, which was enough to allow me time to gather my wits. "You know better than to lie to me."

"I'm not –"

"And you're still doing it," he seethed.

I don't know why I felt the need to utter that juvenile protest. Ducking my eyes to avoid his glare, I hoped for a way out of this mess. His first day back and he was already suspicious. Well, he must not have heard my conversation with Jet – otherwise, he would have heard my plans. I think he only heard Jet's deep voice and unfamiliar with the once silent guard, he was assuming something because I had given false identity.

As we were walking, I could still feel his bristled anger rolling off him. Glancing down at his hand, I laced my fingers with his and he gripped my hand softly. We continued holding hands even when the guard approached to talk to Hiei.

I smiled.

…

…

…

But how was I going to keep from blowing my cover?

* * *

A/N: Everyone, thank **akasoeki **for beta reading through this! Fist pump me as I chug away on my slow ass choo-choo train toward this story's future.


	37. I Pulled Off Your Wings, Then I Laughed

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Seven: I Pulled Off Your Wings, Then I Laughed

* * *

Kenji sauntered into the kitchen as he waited for Karen. They were supposed to hit up an arcade and just mosey around with kids their age – try and be normal. Sometimes, he thought they were just trying hard to remember that they were once ignorant teens by acting silly and immature along with their own generation. It seemed strained with other kids, but with Karen, goofy humor and lopsided grins came as natural as breathing.

But now and again, he was still a teen guy with raging hormones and he responded in like to every good-looking woman – like Valon. He tried to put the moves on the tall woman, but it was kind of hard to do with his best friend's family hovering around them. He thought he saw Yusuke wink at him and nod his head at the native beauty in that encouraging way males indicate to one another to make a move. He smoothed a hand through his hair, puffed out his chest, and then –

"_Good game, little boy," she congratulated with a flirty smile._

His ego deflated, as if he was a little red balloon and she popped him with a needle. It's kind of hard trying to flirt with a woman when she regarded you as a 'little boy'. He was ready to say he wasn't a boy and felt the annoyance of wanting to show her up with a sarcastic remark of some sort. He respected women greatly. He was honestly chivalrous and always held the door open or provided that strong shoulder for any tears.

So it startled him that he would turn a cold shoulder toward her and she responded silently, as if instinctively, by imitating his coldness, too. They had a strained silence with one another when they were both invited for lunch with the Urameshis. Then, it was as if they were trying to show each other up by playing the 'she's my best friend' act. She would whisper in Karen's ear and they would giggle. He would text a playful message to Karen and she would snort, which was much more enlightening then just a mere giggle. Best friends snort with one another and friends just giggle.

_Oh well_, _her __loss_, he thought glumly. He guessed Pocahontas just wasn't in to him. It was a pity, as he could have played the role of John Smith, despite his mixed heritage. If his mother were alive, she probably would have been ecstatic that he found a beautiful Indian woman, like her – until the princess turned out to be a cocky and snooty girl, just like all the rest of those popular girls at school.

He wondered if he'd ever get a girlfriend. Why the hell was he into older women anyways? He supposed it had something to do with his intelligence and the fact that he had little experience, so seeking out one with experience always pulled him in. But ever since that date with one of Keiko's friends, he had steered clear of such women.

It wasn't actually a date. She just invited him over and he had felt like that awkward teen trying to be a man as he hovered around in her living room. She made him lemonade (which tasted bad) and he nervously gulped it down to combat his growing nerves. Then, in mid-drink, she tackled him. His lemonade went flying in the air and she was dragging him upstairs into the bedroom. In his hormone driven mind, he had been surprised he had snagged such a well-developed woman. He got as far as her beautiful breasts where he stared at them with a mixture of wonder and lust before a door opened up downstairs.

She had a husband!

Kenji's heart went in to overdrive as he squeaked down at the busty woman in a tone of accusation. How could she have done this to him? He was about to be that bastard that was caught in the act of having sex with another man's woman! He was almost the participant of an affair – that wedge that caused a majority of divorces. She was cheating with him and he was about to get his ass kicked!

He was lucky enough to toss his own ass out the window with his pants halfway on and shirt thrown on backwards. He fled with all the purpose of another guy fleeing the scene before that bedroom door went flying open.

So he was still, disappointingly, a virgin. It was lame. It was embarrassing.

At that thought, he wondered if Karen was still a virgin. She had that odd relationship with Hiei. He didn't know what was going on between those two. She went off with the demon for nearly six months, which would have frightened the shit out of him, and probably just about everyone else. Then she showed up, looking very pretty, and the demon was nowhere in sight. He rarely saw the two of them together and if it wasn't for her disappearance with the intimidating guy at the temple, he would have thought they were done with whatever it was they had with each other.

Things happened between now and then, and he hadn't been able to see much of Karen. He surely didn't see much of Hiei as the demon was hardly around after the temple incident. He had asked and Karen calmly said that the demon had business in Demon World. Kenji never asked what was going on between them, but he assumed they were still together as Karen had that smitten look in her eyes whenever she said that guy's name.

But – he shook his head – she was probably still a virgin. They were both awkward young adults. She still acted the same around him, but surely, that would change if she wasn't like him, a lame virgin. Only, she was really- really- beautiful and Hiei was a cold bastard, but definitely male. Kenji frowned. She would tell him if she wasn't a virgin, wouldn't she? Best friends usually told one another such things… if they were of the same gender, but as they weren't, such topics were shyly avoided. If she wasn't anymore, then he was even lamer because he had lost a kindred virgin friend.

_Oh, the agony_, he hung his head.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he dug around in the fruit bowl sitting on the counter. He found the perfect apple, rinsed it off, and bit brutally into the red flesh. Kenji leaned against the counter and munched away with brooding eyes. When he had nibbled all the way to the core, there was still no Karen. He checked his watch and discovered he had waited for nearly half an hour already, which was unusual, as she never took long to get ready.

Kenji tossed his core into the trash and slouched off toward his friend's room. He was halfway up the stairs when he heard muffled words. He paused and glanced up curiously. It sounded as if there was an argument coming from one of the rooms. Silently, Kenji crept up the steps until he was high enough to hear the words more clearly.

"Can't we just talk?" Karen's strained voice slid beneath the doorway of her room. Kenji saw the flicker of shadows. "Normally," she asked. "All we've been doing is fighting –"

"And that's my fault," answered rough voice. It was Hiei's, and Kenji furrowed his brows. "It's this damn house, which is something I'm going to fix."

"What do you mean?"

Hiei's voice was smooth, but with a hint of mockery. It was always cold when he spoke, or so Kenji thought. Kenji wondered how anyone could stay the in the same room with that demon. He was a scary asshole! If he were alone with the demon and the man mumbled 'happy', Kenji would have died of fright. That's how terrifying Hiei was to him.

"Obviously, we won't be living here," Hiei explained coolly. "It'll be even more annoying when that brat is here."

There was brief silence, but then, Karen said, "I can't leave –"

"You actually want to stay here," asked Hiei blandly and Kenji could imagine the demon sweeping his hand outward in indication to the house, "with all the bickering those two have been doing?"

"What, like we haven't bickered just as much?" she huffed in annoyance. Kenji was slightly in awe that his friend could act in such a way with the dark demon.

"Take responsibility for that," he snapped angrily. "Tell me who you were talking to and this time, I expect the truth!"

"I told you it was Kenji!"

Kenji paled.

"You're really starting to piss me off, Karen," muttered Hiei so lowly that Kenji had to strain his ears to hear the venomous words. "Do you actually think he could ever achieve that type of masculine voice, what with his pathetic vocal cords? He squawks compared to that other man's tone."

_Hey_! Kenji thought in indignation.

It was silent again, this time longer. When he heard soft footsteps, he almost whisked back downstairs, until he heard Hiei give a derisive laughter.

"Running away again," he said darkly and it sounded menacing. "It's all you've been doing – you just keep running and lying."

"I'm not running," mumbled Karen and he heard things shifting, as if the smaller woman were digging around in her closet. "Kenji's waiting."

Hiei gave a harsh grunt, as if deeply annoyed.

"Don't act like that Hiei," pleaded Karen at the noise. "I know I've been going off a lot, but everyone just keeps wanting to go out – I'm just trying to –"

"You're using that as an excuse, an escape route to keep from telling me the truth." The bedsprings creaked and a large shadow passed beneath the doorway. He heard Karen gasp. "Why do you keep lying to me? I've given you chances to come clean and yet you still continue to feed me these lies! You're hiding something."

"No I'm not."

"We're going to get this settled before I go back to work," threatened Hiei with a lilt of a growl.

Kenji waited for his friend's response, but it never came forth. Instead, there was the sound of something falling, a soft thud, and then, very quietly, a low, low moan.

"Hiei, no," whispered Karen. "I-I've been up here too long."

"He can wait," he answered huskily.

There was the moan again, faint and sensual. Kenji's face heated up as he recognized that it had come from his friend. _Great_, he mouthed to himself. Now he had that little noise to keep playing in his head for a while. He tiptoed back down the stairs and made his way to the living room couch with the greatest respect of a friend knowing when to disappear. He knew they were going to be a few minutes, but he couldn't leave. It would be rude and he felt that Karen wanted to get away, as Hiei had suggested moodily.

That was the most he had ever heard the heartless demon say, but it answered his thoughts from earlier. The two were in a serious relationship, enough that they were quarreling like any other couple and it sounded like it had been a constant squabble for some time. He could hear the distress in his friend's voice, as she tiredly argued. There was a dangerous tone in Hiei's voice, one akin to something like jealousy.

But whatever it was, it apparently wasn't enough to thwart the passion between them. They were lovers and it seemed odd to picture Hiei as anything but what he was – cruel. Evidently, he was different around Karen, and Kenji had a sneak peek into that from the hushed argument. Karen didn't seem afraid of Hiei, even if he was dangerous.

Kenji briefly remembered the fear of Kurama's voice as he ushered for everyone to flee inside his plant. There were startled yells of Hiei using his dragon, but he never saw anything. He heard a thunderous roar mixed with the wail of some tortured beast. The temple was trembling violently and it sounded like an intense thunderstorm beyond the plant's walls. He did, however, see the brutal way Hiei had twisted Cain's clone's head until it snapped with ease. There was even a satisfied, sadistic smirk upon the tall demon's face after he glanced down at his dead opponent. As far as he could remember, Hiei had been the only one to defeat the clones. It hadn't been a pretty sight to witness such an event from his position across the room. Kenji had even hurried to look away in slight fear of the demon.

To Kenji, Hiei was a bastard through and through. To Karen, he was something else that he couldn't understand. He had to respect her decision for wanting to be with him. Still, he couldn't help shooting a wary glance at the much taller man. Kenji was just glad that Hiei was on their side.

Sighing, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. As Karen's best friend, he was going to pretend to not have heard anything. She would have done the same for him if he had a girlfriend. If she had problems, he would wait for her to tell him unless he felt that she needed comfort. Until then, he would soothe whatever was stressing her with his goofy self.

She needed it.

And later, he might ask why she mentioned him in that argument. If she was going to use him as a cover for something, he wanted to know. It would be nice to get a heads up with such things in case Hiei decided to lead him down an alley and throttle him around to demand answers that his friend wasn't giving him.

For now, a lazy and fun-filled day was called for to cheer up his friend.

* * *

I was at a loss for what to do these days. My life was becoming chaotic in a mixture of good and bad that I was struggling to keep from diving headlong over this cliff. This precipice was both crumbling and rebuilding in a constant war against itself.

My reunion with Hiei had been both confusing and erotic, but my relationship with him had been that way since the beginning. My mind was reeling from what could have occurred against that tree in the forest. Every time I saw a tree, I was reminded of his bandaged hand beneath my skirt (and my panties that he had yet to give back, damn it). _That poor tree_, I thought. It would have suffered through unwanted sex against it's innocent trunk and with no say in the matter.

We hadn't had any more intense encounters since that night three days ago. All we had time for were rash kisses because of the crowded house and my busy schedule of people wanting to spend time with me. There were only four of us, but the house seemed crowded these days as Keiko and Yusuke were always present in whatever room I happened to be cleaning, brooding, or trying desperately to find some privacy.

Yusuke was also keeping me busy. It seemed like I was always rushing off on some errand with him to buy something for Keiko. He was grouchier these days to the point that I was beginning to suspect that he was purposely keeping me from having any alone time with Hiei. I think Yusuke was extremely nervous with his child on the way and to combat such nerves, he was unconsciously honing in on his instinctive parental authority. I wasn't his child, but I was the closest he could find to boss around and reprimand.

Aside from being slightly grumpy in the mornings, Keiko was still calm and loving. She had told me plenty of times that she was ready for a baby, which explained her blissful happiness. While Yusuke was hounding me to take up more responsibilities, Keiko was continuously assuring me that she was entirely capable of handling things. If anything, she wanted to keep busy. She refused to be coddled.

It was tug and pull between them. Yusuke was telling me to help. Keiko was telling me to go away. They were discreetly arguing over little things. Yusuke wanted Keiko to quit her job. Keiko refused to do so, as accounting was not a danger to her health. Yusuke was trying to run me ragged and Keiko was arguing to loosen the reigns. Back and forth, back and forth – it was making me dizzy.

Then there was Hiei.

Amidst every kiss in empty rooms, he would remember to ask about the phone call. At first, I thought it was jealousy as he heard the male voice, but there was an underlying tone to the question. But as for what, I didn't know. He only asked that one question and somehow, luck would intervene with another's presence, like Kenji's (I hope he didn't hear anything) arrival the other day. I knew good fortune wouldn't always be kind to me, but it was welcomed. It allowed me further time to figure out what to say when he hounded me with the harsh questions again. I didn't like to lie to him, but I had to.

I was also trying to figure out what to do in keeping myself from caving in to my hormones. He wanted unprotected sex and for the life of me, I couldn't scold myself against the idea. I had counted the time for the birth control to kick in and I had less than two weeks to go. It would all be smooth sailing from that point – if I could fight the temptation against his smoldering eyes.

But the problem was getting him to listen. I wanted to give him everything, but he just needed to wait a little longer. I knew he wouldn't use protection. I heard the authority in his voice when he denied my request for protection. The first time could be all it takes for a baby. I was reminded of the older girls at the orphanage that had run off with their growing stomachs.

I was thinking too much since coming back from the temple because my responsibilities were becoming more than I could handle. It was affecting my relationship with Hiei. He only had to look at me and know that something was wrong. I didn't want to hurt him with what he may find to be betrayal. He gave me plenty of warnings throughout our relationship that any dishonesty was not tolerated and yet, dishonesty was the card I had to keep holding up.

His demon instincts were going to kick in soon. I had seen a glimmer of it in his eyes when he approached me the first night. My refusal to answer him honestly and the long wait of refusing to sleep with him were going to end his patience. It was bound to snap. It was something I knew that would always be present in our relationship. All the warnings of a human threatening demon instincts had been made and I had to accept any times they happened – even Yukina couldn't control herself when such times happened and it had caused her to bite Kuwabara. Hiei's quick kisses in darkened hallways and empty rooms were much harsher now…

The crunch of gravel pierced through my thoughts and I peeked out my window. Yusuke was backing up the car. Tonight, he and Keiko were going to spend time together, hopefully to settle their petty arguments. Without their presence, the house was buzzing with peace and quiet. My eyes closed at the light atmosphere as I stood there basking in the moonlight from the window.

With a much-needed sigh, my hands went to the zipper of my skirt. I had spent the majority of the day with Atsuko, but now I was going to throw on my comfy clothes and sleep like the dead. All of this thinking and worrying was ripping my head apart. I was slowly growing more stressed with each passing day and drowning in my own dilemmas.

The zipper was halfway down when I realized that I was alone, truly alone, for the first time with Hiei.

No, I had known he was here, but why should it bother me that we were alone? We had been alone for an hour the other day before Kenji arrived. All we had done was argue, but then he backhanded my purse to the side with his haunting eyes. I had felt somewhat embarrassed to making out with him while Kenji hovered down below, afraid that he might hear the moans Hiei seemed desperate to elicit with sharp bites and roaming hands.

Only, tonight felt different, almost alive with some sort of energy. It was skimming along the twittering peace, as if this strange force were seeking its next meal. I had been shivering when Yusuke and Keiko bid goodbye, reminded me to clean the kitchen (Yusuke), and said they'd be in late as they were seeing this live band downtown in Tokyo. But I hadn't been shivering from the cold…

That peaceful humming in the air stretched taut like cutting wire. My mouth felt dry, but my body, my very _skin_, was flushing with an astounding amount of heat. There was the sound of heavy footsteps and my heart thrummed chaotically at the growing heat of the person approaching my room. The doorknob twisted loudly and I hurried to zip my skirt back up.

Hiei pushed open the door and his eyes zeroed in on my fumbling fingers. "You knew the moment they left, I was coming in here," he closed the door behind him, "so why the hell are you zipping that back up?"

I was surprised that the first words out of his mouth hadn't been laced with his suspicious questions regarding the phone call. He was immediately asking for my skirt off in a voice that was husky and deep, deeper than normal and almost on the verge of a hidden growl. His tone was coated darkly and sent a soft jolt of pleasure throughout my body. _Dear god_, I thought wildly. _What is he doing to me with his voice?_

"Because we can't," I answered softly, wincing when his jaw hardened. It was a lie, a strained lie. Zipping my skirt, I unconsciously crept behind my desk chair to use it as a makeshift barrier against him.

"_Why_?" His voice was icy and the one word dripped with anger.

Because it had worked a few times already, I blurted, "I'm not ready –"

He had a lot of self-control, but my words were yet again, another lie, as all it took was his presence for my body to come alive. I should have said something else. I should just talk to him, except all we ever did was fight. My sentence had died abruptly when his jaw muscles tightened, very, very slowly. I saw his chest expand as he inhaled deeply and my thighs instinctively pressed against one another as the same electricity spread from my stomach and down…

He exhaled.

I exhaled.

"_I don't want you to be frightened, Karen, but he's going to be a little unstable," whispered Kurama._

I trembled slightly at the eerie warning, for Hiei's eyes had darkened through a series of crimson colors from bloody red to blackish maroon. My thighs pressed together tightly, as I remembered his words from that first night. He said he could smell me. I hadn't understood what he meant by that at the time, but I knew now – he could smell me again. I was horrified at what I smelled like to him and self-consciously trying to hide it with tightly pressed legs.

But he responded darkly to it when he closed the door behind him. There was a soft 'click' from the lock sliding into place. It reverberated in the dim light of my room.

"Hiei?" I whispered in an attempt to soothe the primitive way he was stalking towards me. His footsteps didn't falter. "Hiei…?"

_Jet's serious voice rumbled like thunder. "Demons have instincts too strong for a human to understand."_

The aura rolling off of him was animalistic, one of a male animal needing to brand the closest female as his and his alone. I was the fighting mate that kept pushing off his advances, as I protectively guarded my virginity no matter how eagerly my body responded to him. It was too late to salvage myself now with soft touches or heated kisses. I had lost that chance. He was a fully-grown demon and I, the silly human girl that had shunned away all warnings. This was an ancient ritual and my innocence would be claimed by this alpha male.

When he neared me, my neck craned back to meet the savage look in his eyes. Without any shoes on or the heels that I had taken to wearing lately, I had forgotten how tall he was. Amazingly, he seemed even taller than before and it emphasized his powerful build. I always overlooked his strength, how easily he could hurt me. I was practically staring straight up at him as he towered over me. I felt small and helpless, completely defenseless against him – but I didn't fear him. I feared his instincts.

I backed up against the desk as he swept aside the desk chair with a flick of his hand. The power behind that hand sent the chair flying against one of my dressers where it shattered into pieces. Knocking against my desk with a gasp, I brushed up against the lamp behind me. It wobbled dangerously and I had just enough sense to reach for it. My hands jerked to right the lamp, but I pulled too hard. The already stretched cord yanked from the socket down below and the light flickered off. The entire room was nearly pitch black as moonlight added a hint of luminosity through the cracks of the blinds.

His arm wrapped around me and jerked me up against his body, plastering me completely against him from breast to hip. The lamp clattered upon the desktop with a sharp ringing and equally loud thud of wood. He lifted me up enough to carry me towards the bed with just that one powerful arm, as if I weighed nothing.

I didn't fight him. I knew not to this time, as it would be futile. I simply prepared myself mentally to not hate him for the savagery of him taking my innocence. I couldn't hate him.

It was my own fault.

I went strutting around in these clothes, parading beneath his nose, as if tempting a bull with the flash of a red cape. He never said anything about my outfits, but his eyes followed me continuously since his arrival. I hesitantly accepted that as a silent approval that he liked my new attire.

Yet I kept saying no, no, and no. I was his mate. Hiei had said I was _his_ mate. He had said that when I was ready, he wasn't stopping. He knew I was ready, but I stopped him anyways. He had given me fair warning – and I had to accept him now, as it was my responsibility to this demon that had chosen me.

Caged against him with that one arm, I could barely breathe. My breaths came out in strained gasps against his neck. Hiei didn't kiss me. We weren't even looking at each other, but I was aware of his strong hand as he reached down to grab the back of my left knee. His hand yanked up, bringing my knee up to his hip. The bandages rasped along my skin like that first night. Nails raked along my outer thigh and toward my hip in a barely restrained way – it was almost painful, but had me trembling against him while I stared over his shoulder with wide eyes. Long fingers curled around the band of my underwear at my hip and he pulled violently with a low growl. The fabric burned briefly like quickly placed scratches as the once pretty silk panties ripped away.

That was the only piece of clothing he removed because it was all this dominant demon needed to remove. He kept his knee between my legs as we fell back against the bed to keep me from closing up, but I wasn't going to stop him. Hiei's hands jerked my skirt to my waist and his other knee joined the one between thighs. Harshly he nudged them apart wide enough for the width of his hips, leaving me breathless in fear and shame. I watched his face, wishing he'd look at me, but he was only focused on my body.

Those burning hands slipped under my thighs and pulled them up. A heated blush splashed against my cheeks when I felt him touching me down in a place I had never been touched before since infancy. My eyes widened at the moistness there and I was mortified at what he was thinking. I was unprepared for the lean finger that pressed a tad inside me, almost as if he was checking me. I whimpered in fear and brief pleasure because it was such a sensitive area. But it didn't last long, only a slight second. Then he was guiding himself –

And it all happened very fast. Everything had been a blur from the moment he hauled me up. I was breathless at the rashness of this intimate act. I didn't know what to do. He never told me. He never said a word. He was roughly leading me in a game that I had no preparation for –

There was immense pressure between my legs and it was blazing with intense heat. But it moved too quickly for me to dwell on it. A second was all it took for him to enter me completely and I couldn't help the pained scream that tore from my throat.

That was the only scream I allowed to escape my lips. I refused to acknowledge the pain with any more wounded screams. Tears clouded my vision at the intensity of his thrusts, but I desperately held them back by clutching at the sheets on either side of me. His hands left my thighs and braced against the mattress near my ribs where they pushed deeply into the bed.

I waited for the pain to abide, that agonizing pressure and searing heat, but it didn't let up. There was a flicker of pleasure, a little light, at the end of each plunge. That was it. It kept retreating at the quick rhythm. The small stabs of pleasure was all that kept me from screaming too loudly.

This was painful. The too full sensation was unbearable, sweeping me along without mercy. Despite my refusal to keep from screaming, I couldn't help it. My cries were increasing in volume, surging up to answer every raspy growl and the low groans above me. I tried to tough it out and wait for him to finish, but my trembling hands were reaching up to clutch at his shirt.

"_Please_," I begged breathlessly, hoping he could hear me. "_Please, you have to slow down_!"

My words and cries must have broken through because there was a moment of hesitancy. It was brief, as things had gone too far for him to stop. But he was guilty. The raging instincts had died and he gave a strained, low grunt, as if to apologize. I knew he was guilty from the way he tried to change the pace to something more gentle. He moved slower and his hands were under my bottom, correctly lifting me up against him. It was a last minute attempt and just enough to chase away the pain at the end.

My head started spinning and I wrapped my arms around him, giving my first pleasured moans. Those last few thrusts had me arching against him and his mouth swallowed up my blissful cries. But it was short lived as my body was too far gone and too new in this sacred act, that the brief moment of what should have been intense pleasure ended before I could cling to it. All I got were the blurred beams of a far off light, which he tried to prolong with his feverish lips.

As the fleeting carnality left, my energy felt whisked away. A wave of fatigue settled over me and my eyelids fluttered. Instinctively, I knew it was the connection. It was draining my energy.

I was still holding him when he gave a harsh cry against my shoulder. It was such an erogenous sound and filled with the release of intense pleasure, that I was stunned by it. He was always in control of his emotions, keeping to himself, but that wild abandonment was there in his husky voice and released so fiercely against my shoulder that it made me shiver. My cheeks colored as he hissed my name into my ear in such way that it made me dizzy. Rough, burning hands went to my hips, holding me there as he ground against me with barely restrained grunts. Instinctively, I held him to me tightly as something hot, liquid hot, surged inside of me and I arched fiercely at the intensity of it.

He collapsed on top of me, as if weighed down by great fatigue. The darkened room was filled with our harsh breathing and I stared up drowsily at the ceiling. I should have protested his heavy weight, but I just cradled him lazily. Strangely exhausted, my eyes closed to the soft kisses against my neck.

I fell asleep as his lips meant mine shakily.

…

…

…

When I awakened, my internal clock told me I had slept several hours. At first, I simply remained there with a bleary gaze up at the shadowy ceiling. It took me a few moments to realize that there was a warm body half-sprawled on top of me. More aware, I turned my head and came face-to-face with Hiei's resting face. His hot breath ghosted across my lips, mixing intimately with my own breath, as our faces were mere centimeters apart.

Then, I felt the aches, especially between my legs. It was throbbing immensely. The memories of how such soreness came to be made my face flush with embarrassment. Dimly, I could hear the sounds from last night inside my head. There was the sound of bed springs creaking, rustled clothing, rough growls, and my echoing cries, all just mixing repeatedly, like flickering radio stations.

We had rough, raw sex.

_Rough sex indeed_, I grimaced. We didn't even get fully undressed, as I was entirely covered save my underwear, which was lying in tatters somewhere. I doubt I could even walk in single line without stifled moans. It was a good thing I didn't drive, because if I was pulled over and tested to walk along the yellow paint, I would fail miserably. It would be embarrassing to blurt out to the officer of why I was wobbling dangerously without the accompanying intoxication levels that should warrant such behavior.

I never expected us to be passionate with sex. I highly doubt there was going to be amusing, throaty laughter or intense snuggling where I said 'that was really good' and he answered, mockingly, 'of course it was, little fool', as if I could ever doubt his experienced ways. I knew the first time would be painful from the hushed stories I heard around school or from any older girls at the orphanage before they lit out on their own.

I just didn't think it was going to be _that_ painful.

I wasn't going to die. I knew that at some point during the first thrust. But I realized if I hadn't have been ready down there it would have been an entirely different story. My wetness had attracted him in the first place since he could smell it. It was still somewhat embarrassing that just his presence, voice, and sexual appeal could cause such a response to my body.

But it was done with. I had sex with him and it wasn't at all that big of a deal. There was a slight disappointment inside my chest because I had wished for the first time to be… I don't know – magical and beautiful. Instead, there was just that hint of pleasure near the end amidst all the discomfort of his sheer size. Yet, I think the next time it would be different. With a little practice, I might get the full color spectrum instead of a few scattered rays.

For now, the _next_ time was going to have to wait until this soreness let up. From how he had reacted near the end, I knew he would wait. He wasn't cruel. I didn't hate him. I didn't regret what happened between us. I did regret my naïve ways, as they had pushed him too far. Just because it had been painful, none of that changed my feelings for him. I still loved him. There were risks to being involved with a demon and sacrifices that I would always make – this was just one of them that should have been unnecessary if I hadn't kept pushing him away with lies that I wasn't ready.

Giving a tiny sigh, I wiggled slightly to the side to ease away from him. His arm was thrown over my waist and a long leg was still settled between mine. A bit of his body rested along my left side and I fathomed that he must have shifted enough to keep from smothering me. I tried to be discreet, as I didn't want to wake him, but his muscles coiled and a sleepy grunt puffed against my neck.

Shyly, I kept my head turned away as he lazily pushed himself up. He hovered there for a moment and I could feel the heat of his eyes, but things were awkward. The intimacy between us should have chased away my embarrassment, but it was there and heating up my face. Allowing him to enter my body, letting him get so close, where no one else had been before, made me feel extremely exposed and insecure. I think I would always be that shy girl around him because he rarely told me what he was thinking. Brief hesitancy was a constant for me in our relationship.

When he removed his leg and lifted his arm, I rolled over with a slight frown. My body was stiff and the soreness made it a bit of a struggle to push myself up. It felt like the first day with Genkai where she had immediately put me through the task of running up and down those blasted stairs. Actually, I think the after effects of Genkai's hardcore training were more painful than this as I had had to soak in a bath full of ice to alleviate my muscles. This soreness was greatly different from Genkai's killer exercise aches, as I was definitely swollen down _there_, but it was tolerable.

Yet, the aches were strong enough to make a soft whimper slip from my mouth. Embarrassingly, I gritted my teeth to keep such noises from surging forth again. I focused on sliding my legs off the bed and setting my feet onto the floor. Then, I just sat there and stared at the ground. There was no way I was going to humiliate myself by attempting to walk in front of him. I just needed time to let the stiffness settle before wobbling toward the bathroom across the hall.

The first ray of sunlight began peeping through the blinds and lit up several spots upon the floor. And to my horror, one beam landed on my tattered white panties. If I was close enough, I would kick them away from the light. It was as if the sun were trying to illuminate the clues of our deed. I really liked those panties, too. My panties were taking a beating lately and were down two. If this kept up, I was going to have to go shopping again.

Ignoring the torn fabric, I glanced at my lap and once again, blushed. I had never reddened this much in my entire life. Usually, the blushes were fleeting, as they never lasted long. I was always able to beat away my reddened cheeks and keep the flush at bay. But the reason for my colored cheeks now was how bunched up my skirt was, that my naked flesh was almost completely exposed. I fumbled to push my skirt down. I didn't feel like looking at _that_ or showing it to the world, not with how it was throbbing.

My skirt was ripped up one side and red strings were swaying in the soft glow of light at my thigh. I traced the tear until it stopped near the thick band around my waist. It was such a cute skirt, but it was now going to have to end up in the trash.

The bed shifted beneath me and I glanced sideways without lifting my head up. Hiei was settling next to me, leaving just enough space to keep from touching me. I would have met his eyes, but I probably looked a mess. My hair was most likely matted with dry sweat and scattered in tangles. I didn't feel presentable enough to meet his observant eyes.

A warm hand touched my lower back and I tensed lightly at the tentative pressure. I didn't mean to react that way. It had to be the heat of his hand, but even as told myself that, I kept remembering the pain of being stretched to the point that I screamed my lungs out. Immediately, he retracted his hand, as if he were burned by my t-shirt. I chased away those memories with a brutal mental slap and concentrated on never flinching from him again.

It was extremely awkward for the next few minutes where we simply sat in silence and watched the light pouring in through the cracks of the shades. I had never watched the sunrise before with him, but this was a strange circumstance to be doing so now. We couldn't even see the sun. It was just light dancing onto the floor (and on my panties) and a red hue brightening the white, horizontal blinds.

Knowing I needed to assure him I was fine, I opened my mouth to speak until the bed trembled. It was the vibration of a phone somewhere behind us. My phone was on my desk and was set with a cheery jingle, so it must be his cell. I waited for him to grab up the device, but he didn't move.

Turning to him, I stared at the side of his face. He was staring straight ahead with an unreadable expression, but with how stiffly he was sitting, I knew he was guilt-ridden for his actions. Rigidly, I turned to search for his phone and found the slim object just behind me.

"It's probably important," I whispered while holding out the phone.

My voice was a little hoarse and I cleared my throat quietly before saying his name. He didn't even appear to hear me. Scooting towards him, I reached for his hand. Turning his palm up, I pressed the phone there while saying, firmly, "Hiei, answer your phone."

He glanced at me for the first time and my face heated up, as I remembered his harsh groans and my echoing screams again. Bashfully lowering my eyes, I stood up on shaky legs when he lifted the phone to his ear. I thought he would ignore me once he answered the phone, but I could feel his intense gaze. I ignored the twinges of pain between my legs and forced myself to walk across the room to give him some privacy.

Having slept so long, all throughout the night (did I even move?), my legs were quivering with fatigue and aches. There was wetness at the corner of my eyes, as I wanted to cry. It was from the fluttering of various emotions and pain zipping along my body. I remembered crying after my first day of training from all the soreness of my muscles and Jet had sat with me while awkwardly patting my head, which only made it worse because my head throbbed, too. I'd probably have a good cry later during the handful of warm baths to soothe the lower half my body. This time there wasn't anybody to give me that awkward pat on the head. I was going to have to tough this out alone because it was entirely too private to share with anyone. Whom was I going to seek comfort from anyways when everyone kept warning me and regarded Hiei with accusing eyes?

I hated being clumsy, especially now. Four steps across the room and I went teetering to the side. I barely even brushed past the bed, but a muscular arm wrapped around my waist. Meeting Hiei's eyes cautiously, I was mortified at what he might be thinking. He was still holding the phone to his ear, but he was staring down at me with those impassive eyes. Carefully, he led me back to the bed and lowered me down until I was sitting at the edge of the mattress.

"What do you need," he asked slowly as he lowered the phone and completely ignored the person speaking on the other end.

Fingering the hem of my shirt, I stuttered out nervously, "… a c-change of clothes. I wanted to take a bath."

He nodded and headed across the room, but paused midway. When he turned around, he gave me an odd look. Amazingly, I knew what it was he was silently asking. He wanted to know what exactly it was he needed to get.

"Just grab anything in the first three drawers." I pointed at the dresser.

He returned to his task without another word. Silently, I watched him shift the phone back to his ear and tilt his head to hold it with his shoulder. Before he opened the drawers, there was the sound of metal teeth clashing together quietly. I almost cleared my throat. He was zipping up his pants.

I guess he doesn't need to talk on the phone because Hiei never said a word to the caller. He just listened while searching through the drawers. At one point, he made an unusual, low grunt when he pulled open my underwear drawer. He seemed to be slightly stunned, because he rubbed a hand over his face. It was embarrassing to have him looking through my underwear, but they were decent pieces. I didn't have anything strange in there besides lace and silk. It's not as if I had thongs slinking around in there, as that would have added to my humiliation.

Clothes in hand, he reached up and ended the phone call. Slipping his phone in his pocket, he walked over to my door and unlocked it. I was going to ask where he was going, but he was already striding across the hall. A few seconds later, I heard running water coming from the bathroom.

He came back moments later sans my clothes. I noticed that his footsteps were measured, as if he were trying not to approach me too quickly. When he neared, he was reaching for me, but strangely enough, jerked back just before touching me. He seemed to be contemplating whether to pick me up and kept his hands held out loosely toward me. Deciding for him, I lifted my arms up toward him in a silent sign for him to carry me. Almost cautiously, he slipped an arm around my waist and his other beneath my knees. I was surprised at how gently he lifted me up, but I wound my arms around his neck with complete trust.

He carried me to the bathroom and I worried that Yusuke or Keiko might come barreling from their room, but their door remained firmly shut. The house was silent save for the water pouring in the bathroom. Briefly, I wondered when the other couple had arrived home and if they noticed anything unusual – but I suppose not. Otherwise, I doubt we would have slept so soundly.

Inside the bathroom, I saw the water filling up the tub. My eyes widened at the fact that he had started a bath for me. After he lowered me onto the seat of the toilet, he leaned over and checked the temperature of the water with his hand. I was still in a daze at what he had done.

Streaming water splashed against the liquid surface filling the tub. It was loud in the bathroom, like a thunderous roar. Once it was high enough, he deftly twisted the faucets and remained sitting on his heels.

Silence.

More silence.

Then, he broke it with his smooth voice. "I'll be back in a few hours."

Because everything was awkward and had been awkward since I awakened, I merely mumbled, "okay."

He stared up at me and appeared ready to say something, but then thought better of it. He stood up and headed out of the bathroom. The door closed quietly behind me and I eyed the door numbly. In the silence of the bathroom, I heard a shower starting down below.

Leaning forward, I massaged my temples at the strained situation.

* * *

He messed everything up.

Throughout the entire morning meetings, his mind had only been on one person. The scenes of last night kept playing repeatedly inside his head. The pleasure had been intense, mind blowing, but it was half lived because of the pained screams that kept echoing inside his head.

He had never lost control before, not like how he had last night. The only time Hiei had was at the temple when his mark was altered, but he had been able to reign in his instincts. This time, it all snapped without warning. It happened out of nowhere.

He had been pissed for days at her denial to give him his answers. He had been aggravated at her dishonesty and every lie she uttered. He had been sexual frustrated as she moved around him with all the grace of an exquisite goddess. Hiei had nearly gone insane when they were interrupted the first night and he was ready to incinerate the guard that approached them. Fuck, he had been sexually frustrated for over a year and all for the one woman that kept pushing him away.

When he smelled her arousal, all sense of control left him. His body had grown tight with need. He couldn't stand it anymore when there was an aroused, very aroused, female standing there before him in a tiny skirt. Yet, despite the need to have her, he knew he had to stop, but his mind and body wouldn't let him.

He had waited too long. He had waited for over a year for her and now that she was radiating such a startling amount of sexual appeal, he had to fight every day to keep from pushing her against the nearest wall. Only, it wasn't the sexual frustration that had finally pushed him overboard. He had forced himself from giving into his sexual needs in respect to her naivety.

Her dishonesty had been slowly leading him away from his disciplined ways. Hiei didn't understand why she was suddenly lying to him, but she had done so since his arrival. Karen was stubbornly guarding her secrets and it aggravated him, as she had never acted distrustful of him. If there was anything she had hidden, she would admit to it – but this time she was cleverly distracting him with her lovely body and taking advantage of the multitude of people that kept, unknowingly, butting in.

At first, there was a flare of jealousy when he first heard the deep voice booming from her phone. With how she was dressed, this new sexiness she was radiating, he briefly imagined that she was messing around with another man. He was almost suspicious in her change of wardrobe and pondered if she was even the same woman – but she was. He found that out immediately when she had clumsily corrected herself when he teased her for yelling the wrong name.

Despite the sexy display of skin, his innocent mate was still clumsy and awkward. It chased away his brief doubts of any affairs. He highly doubted Karen had it in her to go messing around with anyone else, as he had burned the warning of his mark into her head.

Hiei had caught the last of her conversation, but it hadn't revealed much. He knew she had been to Spirit World to confirm the completion of her training, but Hiei had feeling that that was a carefully worked lie. Unfortunately, he was under oath to keep from using his jagan on any allies. He hardly was one for orders, but he had a bargain to fulfill until his work with Mukuro was done. When his mate mentioned that she had signed the necessary documents, he had lifted a brow. The news had matched the story fed to him in Spirit World.

Yet, there was something else in her eyes. She was hiding something. He knew it. How many hours of the day had he spent just watching her? He was aware of every flicker of emotion that flashed across those beautiful eyes. His mate was up to something and knowing her, it couldn't be good.

In truth, he had gone up to her room to tempt her out of her clothes. She had pushed him away for too long and his needs for that beautiful woman were maddening. Hiei had never wanted a woman more than he wanted Karen. He had never desired a woman before – he had simply had his choice among the women in both worlds.

She was different from before and it was both good and bad. She walked differently, moving with slow, sure steps that had her hips moving just the right way. That body was altered, too. She had been beautiful when he left her and when he came back, she was sexy beautiful – something that shouldn't be possible. Once slim legs were now toned to perfection and he didn't know how that could have come to be when she had only been training her mind. His mate's hair was longer, near her lower back, and just hinting for his eyes to zero in on her luscious backside. Even that soft voice was attractive and he wondered how he could have ever thought it just pleasant. It was sultry and low, but entirely innocent. He wanted his name to roll off that sweet tongue of hers.

And she was unconscious to the intense sexuality that she was giving off – she didn't know that she was driving him wild with those hips, voice, and every tiny trait on her figure. The once clumsy girl was a grown woman with a killer body.

She also had such a beautiful feminine scent. If he had thought, she smelled delicious before, it was nothing compared to her steaming arousal. Her natural perfume was heady and sweet. He couldn't pinpoint such aroma, only that it was uniquely hers and filled his entire body with fire.

For the last month, Hiei had worked to exercise his self-control. He had hardened himself again and convinced himself to be the cold-hearted demon he once was. He didn't need softness. He didn't need any more weaknesses besides what he had in his obsession with his mate. He had told himself that when he went back to Human World that any gentleness he displayed with that woman was going to end – there would be no more of it.

She was simply a beautiful woman and the only reason he was obsessed with her was because of her beauty. That would all end once he fucked her. She needed to learn that she was _his_ mate, that when he wanted her, there was no denying him. He had been too soft with her and allowed her the freedom to keep shoving him away. He shouldn't have given her that control over him because she executed it to a tee.

However, all that discipline he had forced back into his deadened heart shattered when she walked into that office. His self-discipline kept shattering, too, with each day that passed. It wasn't just her body. It was the honesty in her eyes and words when she greeted him so sincerely. He didn't understand how she could easily claw at his defenses. It happened every time.

Dimly, he could remember the fear in her eyes when the chair shattered in her room. She wanted him, but his demon rage frightened her desire. He was blinded with rage that she was lying again, but he also responded dangerously to her scent. Then, all his frustrations fled away as soon as he sheathed himself inside that tight body.

She had to be tighter than demon women were – she was tighter than any woman he had been with and he couldn't stand it. Those little inner muscles just wrapped around him deliciously. Demons were made to breed and his size was enthralled with her moist heat and tightness.

The astounding amount of pleasure was spiraling through him unlike anything he felt before, but when her pained voice cried up at him, he automatically heeded her demand. If she had told him to stop, he would have, but all she said was to slow down. It began hitting him. The screams that had not been there in his enraged, lust-filled mind were thundering in his head. He was too far into the pleasure to stop, but if she had told him once he was aware, he would have – but why hadn't she?

She was inexperienced. She had never been touched by a man and he had taken her with such brutal force, that he hurt her with his body. It wasn't supposed to be like that. He wanted her, but he hadn't wanted her first time to be violent. She trusted him not to hurt her and he had done so by taking her virginity without mercy.

Hiei was supposed to guide her, as he had done since the beginning. Yet, he hadn't even removed all her clothes and taken the time to soothe her embarrassment at being naked beneath him. She may dress in tight, sexy outfits, but she was still his awkward and self-conscious mate. He could remember now the terror in her wide, blue eyes as he touched her intimately for the first time. It hadn't even lasted long. His hormone driven body had just roughly checked to see if she was ready enough for him and being so responsive, she was.

She hadn't known what to do or what to expect, and he had ruined it with her. He didn't take the time to let her get used to him. He didn't allow any time for her to adjust at all.

She was so small compared to him in both size and weight. He had to be very careful with her the first time, he knew that, but all he did was tear into her.

For the first time, in a long time, she had flinched away from him. He couldn't explain the torture that went exploding inside him at that one reaction. She bravely tried to be strong. She hadn't cried. But the way she moved and her whispered cry sent hot guilt flooding into his cold heart.

He had hurt again. Why was he always hurting that little woman? Why didn't she tell him to stop? She was the only one that seemed able to calm him down. All she had done was plea for him to slow down when she should have said stop. She hadn't even put up a fight. Throughout the constant pain, she let him take her without a single protest, save for her lie in the beginning. He should have just turned away…

Why did he care anyways? Hiei got what he wanted after a year of waiting. He had warned her that he wouldn't stop once she was ready. She was his and now that he had her, he couldn't let her go. She was beautiful and mating with her had been unlike anything he could have imagined. It had been so intense that the connection between them had even drained his energy, as if he had used his dragon multiple times. He had literally been drained and unable to move once he shifted enough of his weight off of her to allow her to breathe.

One of the guards was talking and when Hiei looked up tiredly, all he saw was that woman laughing beneath him when they were buried within the pile of leaves long ago.

* * *

He's a damn liar! _A few hours later_, I thought angrily. It was nearing midnight and there was no sign of him anywhere.

Since Hiei left (to Spirit World, I later found out), I spent my day moving about to loosen my muscles. The bath this morning helped and lounging in the t-shirt and shorts Hiei had chosen (embarrassing enough, he had even picked out my panties and bra), I was able to move about.

Yusuke had left for Spirit World later, too. I found out that he and Keiko had arrived home sometime around two in the morning. They were actually quite chipper this morning compared to the bickering arguments between them this past week.

Keiko had tried to get me to go grocery shopping with but her I refused. I was able to keep from wobbling in her presence, but doing so in public would take greater effort. I didn't feel like going anywhere that didn't have a chair or sturdy surface nearby.

So, I waited for a few hours and he remained away in his meetings.

Not one for sitting around, I tended to the mess in my room. I had bled last night, but not a lot. A majority of it ended up on the back of my skirt, as it hadn't been bunched up with the front. There was blood on my bedspreads and I was ashamed at the sight of it. I ended up washing everything. I threw away my ruined clothes. I did away with the pieces of wood on my floor. Remarkably, I found the same chair in the storage room, as my chair had been an extra dining room chair. Hopefully, Yusuke or Keiko won't notice it missing.

When I was all done, I took another bath – this time filled with bubbles. Alone in the house, I bowed my head and cried.

There were many emotions running wild inside my head. For some reason, I was ashamed at what had happened. I was stunned that we had sex. I had sex with Hiei, a demon that had acted cold towards me in the beginning. I would never have imagined I'd end up with him. I had only been that girl he was annoyingly bound to with no way out. Now we had done something together that kept making me blush every five seconds. There were feelings of slight happiness because he had wanted me. I was hurting in a place that rarely saw the light of day. I felt alone, entirely alone. I wanted someone to just hold me, but they would ask questions. I was confused at everything.

And I was scared that Hiei wouldn't want me anymore.

I don't know where that fear came from – it may have been a mixture of his actions last night and the awkwardness of this morning. He had only said two sentences to me. My expectations of sex were sixty percent pain, thirty-five percent humiliation, and five percent pleasure. But what was he expecting? He wanted me enough that his instincts took over when I pushed him away. Yet, he only removed my panties, as if my body wasn't appealing. I tried to tell myself that it was his instincts, but there was a wave of embarrassment for my figure now. There was also a fear to refrain from pushing him over the edge again. I didn't want the second time to be like that or any other time, but I was now kind of wary of sex in general.

It was all confusing.

But now I was annoyed that he was still gone.

Despite what I felt and what had happened, I wanted him here with me. Instead, he was gone. Usually, I never questioned or fume when he overruns his meeting times. I didn't bother him with anything, really. I calmly accepted that he was a busy demon and had more important things to attend to than me, like saving the world. I knew he was extremely busy in Demon World training up the increase of demons for the expansion of the border patrol. Not only that, but he was also working with the more experience members of the patrol and creating safe spots for incoming priestesses.

His overwhelming schedule was also, what made me feel guilty for sneaking around behind his back. He was doing so many things to keep me from visiting the temples and I was doing everything I could to visit said temples.

I was kind of hoping that now that we had sex, it might change his attitude. I had wanted to wait until my birth control kicked in, but now that it was done with, it changed things. I didn't even want to think about birth control and all the what ifs anymore. I was tired of fighting. I was tired of thinking. If he wants sex, then I wasn't going to protest anymore. I'll just go along with it and handle whatever happens.

"_Don't wait up. Getting dragged into extra meetings happens." Yusuke shrugged and handed me his dirty plate. "I once stayed overnight – actually, I just fell asleep in one of the rooms. I told Keiko that I had these situations on my lands, but really I went to asleep and no one woke me up." Frowning, he hurriedly demanded, "don't tell her that. I mean it."_

I stared at the kitchen clock. I glared at the time. It was five after midnight. It was the next day and he wasn't here. I knew in my gut that he was avoiding me. I'm a wreck of a mess and his absence is making me mad. I have all this stuff on my plate. All I want is to forget all the arguments and responsibilities, and just be with him as we were in Shirakawa-go.

I know he's guilty, but why is he purposely avoiding me? It's not as if I stopped him. If he's guilty, then he should be sitting here with me in that awkward silence again.

Crossing my arms, I glanced over at the dinner I had saved him. It was now cold… again. I had always saved his meals for him when he went to any unexpected meetings during the few days he had been here (when are they going to fix those communicators?). If he was going to be more than a few hours late, then the least he could have done was called.

"He never calls me," I grumbled to myself.

I never call him either, except for that one time at the movie theaters. At that thought, I turned to my cellphone on the kitchen counter. Easing myself out of the chair, as sitting so long had stiffened me again, I grabbed my phone. I wonder if he had the same number. Shrugging, I pressed the little phone beside his name. It rang quietly.

It didn't ring long, only twice before the dial tone was lifted on the other end. I thought maybe he quit the call and a voicemail was going to pick up. His end was entirely silent, but I had a feeling he was listening.

"Are you ever going to come home," I asked quietly. When he didn't answer, I scowled at the ticking clock. The minute hand was inching toward the six. I never nagged him, but I couldn't help saying rather coldly, "Yusuke came home _hours_ ago and said your meetings were done with. I realize that those can change, but you know I always have your meals waiting for you. The least you can do is call me if your meetings are longer than 'a few hours'." I was trying hard not to yell into the phone. I didn't want to wake the others up. "It's not that hard to make a three second call, say you're late, and then hang up." He wasn't responding. "Fine," I glared at his untouched dinner that I had made. "I'm not waiting up for you any longer, you goddamn liar!"

Just before I ended the call, his dark voice came through, "I'll be there in half an hour."

Remembering what he had said earlier, I said, rather angrily, "you better not be late again."

I hung up.

I waited a good ten minutes before heating up his meal… again (he better not complain about the overheated taste). Setting it out on the table, I sat down and rested my head on my folded arms. A few minutes later, I heard a car pulling into the driveway. Since there was no more truck or bike, Hiei had bought a car. I didn't really know anything about cars, but it was nice and sleek. The blue, two-door vehicle was kind of sporty.

Glancing at the clock, I timed his arrival. He was eight minutes early. Satisfied, I rested my chin on my crossed arms and stared at the far wall. The front door opened and closed. Keys were rattling softly along with steady footsteps. The kitchen door slid open, but I didn't glance over at him. The chair perpendicular to me was pulled back and he seated himself quietly.

Silence.

More silence.

"I bet you haven't eaten all day, have you," I muttered.

In his presence for the first time since he left me this morning, I was feeling nervous now. Peeking over at him, I saw him staring down at his food. I didn't know what to do. He wouldn't talk to me. Maybe I should just go mourn in my room –

"… Come here."

At the request, I stared at him. He held a hand out toward me. Breathless, I placed my hand in his and he pulled gently. I tried not to wince when I stood up, but it was noticeable. His red eyes flashed. He was hardly holding my hand, as if I were going to break at the slightest pressure. Today had been the first time for such gentleness and I was both trying to commit the acts to memory and keep from doing anything stupid. He pulled me toward him and unconsciously, I settled across his lap.

Unused to such affection, I was unsure of how to act. His bandaged arm was around my waist to keep me from falling and his other hand was rubbing at my outer thigh. There was nothing sensual about his touch. It was almost as if he were lightly massaging me. The heat of his palm was actually very soothing and my tired body relaxed.

Sitting in this position, I was slightly taller than he was. I gazed down at him with my hands neatly clasped in my lap. While I stared at his face, I felt like tracing his jawline. I lifted my hand, but then automatically lowered it. As if reading my thoughts, Hiei grabbed my hand and pressed my palm against his cheek. At the contact, my eyes watered. I blinked away the wetness and leaned forward to kiss his other cheek.

"Eat," I whispered into his ear.

Without releasing me, he leaned forward and reached for his chopsticks. I rested against him comfortably, feeling at peace for the first time this week.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to **akasoeki** for beta-ing! Oh and I got the title from the song Change (In The House of Flies) by the Deftones from the Queen of the Damned Soundtrack. The way I interpreted it fit this chapter. I don't know if anyone will see eye to eye on it with me, but I thought it dealt with trapping innocence, or something fascinating. Anyways, my beta and I thought this was a good enough chapter to scrape through the rating system, because you know how that goes. Love you and see you next week!

I have a deviant art page. Check it out if you want. Link in profile.


	38. Touch Me And Then Turn Away

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Touch Me And Then Turn Away

* * *

Birds were chirping merrily in a soft tune, as they sat upon the branches high in the treetops. It was spring, the season for renewal and all the animals were prancing about happily – before they went zipping away at the sound of my approaching footsteps and harsh breathing. _Sorry Thumper_, I thought wryly at the sight of a rabbit bounding away from me.

Ducking under a low hanging branch, I sprinted along the old worn trail. My shoes were a steady pounding in my head, seeming to work in time with my drumming heart. The grass was swishing along my ankles and splashed dew drops upon my legs as I sped past to disrupt the peace of nature. There was a fallen log up ahead, but I didn't slow down. Gritting my teeth, I threw myself forward into a quick flip. I pressed a hand along the rough bark to push myself upright to complete my hasty handspring. With a little gasp, I landed shakily upon my feet in an awkward crouch.

"Owww," I moaned while rubbing my right hamstring. I think I pulled something, but as long as it wasn't a butt cheek, everything will be fine.

Stretching my leg out, I glared at the log with all the fury one glares at that one person that deliberately pushes objects into their path. A huff of annoyance left my lips and I tapped the toe of my left shoe upon the ground to shake off the slight ache along my leg. I probably shouldn't attempt that move, as I was hardly accomplished at it in the first place. Flips never bode well for me, but Jet had been working with me on them for the past few months. I doubt I was going to flip away from danger, but it was kind of cool to be able to perform a quick handspring, even if my movements were a little jerky.

With Hiei and Yusuke away for the majority of the day (as they had been for the past few days), I worked in some running time during their absence. I was slowly working in a routine and developing a creative way to study. My research manuals were small enough that they resembled the size of crossword booklets. I bought a few such books the other day with sturdy covers instead of crinkly magazine fronts. Tearing off the covers, I creatively stuck my paper manuals inside and stapled them in firmly among a few puzzles. Now, I could sit around and pretend to be doing the crosswords while discreetly researching. I had even done the same with my herb notes. It was a nifty idea, so nifty that I almost clapped at my own cleverness.

Since that _night_ a few days ago, Hiei had kept a respectable distance from me. He wasn't avoiding me, but it was as if he was giving me the needed time to recover. I'll admit that I was completely pain free by the next night, but he didn't need to know that.

Hiei was away most of the time anyways, because apparently there were new priestesses heading into Demon World to relieve the priestesses that had already been there for the past month. Yusuke and Hiei, being rather involved with the layout of the lands, were constantly away to keep up to date and help arrange the routes for the teams. I wondered if they would be this involved once I was sent out, and if so, then I might not even make it past the border.

Hiei being away all the time left me slightly bummed. He was supposed to be off for the month, but we hardly had time to do anything. I was trying my best to stay home in case he was available, only to be saddened when he left. All we had time for was sleeping together, which he had done since that night.

Every night, he came to my bedroom and slid under the covers. I was somewhat surprised since he had refrained from sleeping in bed with me upon coming back to Human World. Hiei never said a word or held me, but that might have to do with his silent regard for giving me space. But that darkened look in his eyes was still there and had never let up.

The few kisses between us were hesitant, more on my part, which silently angered him. I couldn't explain why my lips remained tensed against his and he had yet to ask why. I wasn't kissing him back anymore. I was completely frozen while he kissed me before he left or at night when he hovered over me in bed. When I couldn't respond, he rolled away and stayed on his side until morning.

Heading back to the house, I shook my head. I needed to snap out of this daze. I was meditating during my runs, but that didn't seem to lead to any answers toward my reactions with him. When the house came into view, I left behind my odd problems and focused on my errands.

Today, I was accompanying Keiko to her doctor's appointment. Yusuke and Hiei were in Spirit World and were expected to be gone for most of the day. Apparently, there were new communicators being made to allow more freedom among everyone. It sounded like there were making a type of laptop or a similar type of gadget. I kind of wished they would hurry with the communicators and give Yusuke and Hiei some time off. They were both looking ragged around the eyes and were hardly in the mood to do anything besides sleep and eat.

Finished with my shower, I pulled open my underwear drawer. I had some time to kill while Keiko was getting ready for her appointment. I needed to organize my room.

"_Oh my god, Valon_," I hissed after a few minutes.

Hanging upon my index finger was that – _that dental floss_! The thong was bright pink, see-through, and had a red bow on the front area, as if to represent a present. My gaze slid past the underwear and landed on its twin. I had two thongs sitting among my panties. The only reason I had seen them was because it was nearing my scheduled laundry day and less fabrics were within the wooden drawer.

My face was aflame with embarrassment. Hiei had seen these scraps lying in my drawer that morning, which would explain the odd grunt he made while rifling through my panties. This was Valon's work. She must have thrown these garments into my dresser drawer when I wasn't looking and knowing Valon, she had only done so to make my life even more chaotic. Shaking my head, I grabbed up the other thong and glared at it. The teal material had little buttons all along the front where – I blushed again. _The hell if I'm wearing that_, I fumed. The next time I see Valon, I'm going to floss her teeth with these thongs!

"Karen!"

Hearing Keiko's voice, I shoved the thongs to the very bottom of the pile. "Y-e-a-h," I hollered over my shoulder.

"We should probably leave now! You know what traffic is like!"

I shut the drawer, grabbed my shoes, and hurried downstairs. "Yes, you're right! Sorry, I was just straightening up my room."

"About time," teased Keiko. "You're like Yusuke with your messy drawers."

"How did you know I was cleaning my drawers out?"

Laughing, Keiko's eyes lit up in amusement. "It's the only messy part in your room."

I thought of my closet floor – _not anymore._

Dressed in jean shorts and one of my older shirts with my favorite sumo wrestler's name on the front, I was completely relaxed for the day. I hovered on the porch and tied my shoes while Keiko tittered about the living room. Once she collected up her light sweater and purse, she joined me outside.

During the short drive to the doctor's office, I stared outside the window. In the distance, I saw Mt. Fuji towering up toward the clear sky. Like the day I first saw the mountain, there was a crown of snow at the peak. I was reminded of my arrival to Hakone and the beauty of my new home.

"Karen?" Keiko's voice was soft with hint of a question to get my attention. Turning to her, I lifted a brow in response. "Hiei mentioned to Yusuke that you two were moving out."

At her statement, I nodded my head. Hiei actually hadn't elaborated on moving, as he had merely mentioned it in passing during one of our arguments. Even so, I said, "Yes." Thinking of the baby, I added kindly, "you'll need the extra room. I think you should use my room. It gets a great amount of sunshine."

Keiko pressed her foot on the break and waited at the stoplight. "Karen, I know you're eighteen and old enough to make your own decisions." She glanced at me with a slight frown, "but I do think you're a little too young to be moving in with Hiei."

I had lived with Hiei alone before, but her question had my mind spinning. Before, we had been living undercover and it wasn't until the last few months that things started heating up. This time, living together would be more personal and was bound to be greatly different. I was almost breathless at this new level of intimacy. Hiei wanted to live with me.

But before I could dwell too much on things and work myself into a frenzy, I slapped away the flutter of wild thoughts.

Keiko and Yusuke were going to need more room for the baby. My room was the most logical choice. It did receive plenty of sunshine and was large enough for all the necessary baby stuff like a crib and changing table. I think the main reason for Keiko's worries were her parental instincts peeking through because she was now rounding quite nicely. She was always rubbing her protruding stomach whenever no one was looking and smiling to herself, as if she was keeping a charming secret.

"I'm surprised they talked," I commented on the two men to lead her away from her worries.

The frown melted from her face and she giggled quietly. The light changed and the car moved with the traffic at a steady pace. "Well, it was over sake during one of the meetings." I noticed her scowl as the word 'sake' rolled off her tongue in a clipped tone. "Can you imagine them drinking up there when they're supposed to be attending important conferences? I'm beginning to wonder if Yusuke purposely leaves to these so called 'meetings' just so he can have time away from me now that he's staying here until the baby is born."

And very quickly, Keiko was growing agitated at just the mere mention of Yusuke's name. Hearing the shrilly anger in her voice, I hurried to soothe her by saying, "it was probably just a complimentary drink. They can't be happy being holed up all the time in Spirit World."

"I know," she huffed lightly. Flicking a loose strand of hair from her forehead, she continued more calmly. "Anyways, Hiei has a house on hold somewhere outside of Tokyo. You know how that goes," she waved her hand, "all that paperwork. I surprised he found one so quickly, but Yusuke said he began the process for the house three months ago."

While Keiko was talking, my mind flickered to her earlier conversation. I heard her words softly in my head and had to stifle back a small gasp. "Keiko, did you say Yusuke's staying here until the baby is born?"

"Yes he is," she replied stiffly. I wondered if I offended her in some way, but it was just her irritation at Yusuke. "Hokushin is overseeing things in Demon World, but Yusuke still has to keep tabs on everything. I think it's my fault." At the next stoplight, she suddenly burst into tears. My eyes widened. "I keep having these dreams that he's not going to come back if he leaves! I know how important it is for him to go off and be a hero – he's done it his whole life!" Keiko miserably wrapped her arms around her stomach. "But I can't keep waiting on him anymore! Look at me," she wiped at her face with a broken sob. "Why am I crying?"

The light changed colors, but she was still crying into her hands. I peered into the rear view mirror and noticed the line of cars behind us. Reaching over the console, I rubbed at her shoulder. "Keiko, here, let me drive."

If she doubted my driving abilities, she didn't show it. Sobbing, she opened her door and I mimicked her amidst honking horns. Calmly, I buckled my seatbelt and checked the mirror. The only time I had driven was when I was sixteen and taking my driver's test. The whole class had the option to go after attending driver's education and I remembered saving my money for the necessary fees. I didn't have a car, but having something with my picture on it was my own reward. I figured having identification would be useful, but that plastic card was back at the orphanage.

While Keiko cried, I concentrated on keeping the car steady. I was a little shaky, as my driving skills were rusty, but the car was easy to navigate and rolled along the paved roads without incident. The GPS was leading the way to the office and all I had to do was follow the yellow line. Several minutes later, I turned down a side street and a car honked behind me. At the noise, I ducked my head in shame because I forgot to turn on my blinker. _Oops_! I ignored the woman shaking her fist at me as she drove by and focused on parking the car near the small building. With a grateful sigh, I parked the car.

"I didn't know you could drive," she patted at her eyes with a tissue.

There were actually a lot of things she didn't know about me and no one ever really asked about my former life, as if it were taboo. Kenji knew a few things, like my poker abilities, which was why I always teased Kenji about having a horrible poker face. I learned poker from Billy whom was one of the older kids at the orphanage. He had been a year older and number one bad boy at school known as Billy the Kid. At the orphanage, he was just Billy to me. He was kind enough to show me a few hands of poker, but I wasn't all that good at it. I struggled most of the time to remember the rules and my confused expression was thought to be a ruse. It wasn't.

No one ever asked if I could drive. They just assumed. I also didn't have a middle name, once worked the weekends at a pizza joint, and stole fifty bucks from old Mrs. Weatherly. The last thought made me guilty, but I returned her money with interest. At the time, I had needed it to help this older girl when she left the orphanage. I gave her most of my money the night before she ran away. She had enough of living there and I couldn't let her go empty-handed. I doubt Hiei knew any of my former life, as during the time in Shirakawa-go, my mind had been on other things to occupy his jagan.

"I had a driver's license, but I doubt it's useful here." Shutting the car off, I handed her the keys. "Do you feel better or do you need my loveable hug?"

Keiko wiped at her eyes before nodding, which I figured was an answer to both of my questions. Being smaller than she was now, I leaned over and made the awkward attempt to wrap my arms around her shoulders. The console dug into my lower stomach, but was hardly a hindrance to disrupt my attempt to comfort Keiko. She sniffled against my shoulder and I rubbed at her back.

"I know Yusuke and I have been annoying this past week. I bet you two are tired of it." I was going to wave off her words, but she was squeezing me against her with the strength of Mr. Yukimura. "I want you to know that our door is always open for you. Just because you're living with Hiei doesn't mean you have to stay there while he's gone. I know how lonely it gets when your loved one is in another world. I wouldn't wish such loneliness on anyone, even if you're only going to be less than an hour away." Keiko leaned back and kissed my forehead. "You're a Urameshi and I expect you to come over for dinner four or five times a week and join me on soap opera marathons." Then, she grinned, "and someone has to amuse Yusuke during sumo wrestling. For the life of me, I cannot get what's amusing about two men smashing into one another."

Laughing, I pointed at my shirt. "It's the way the muscles jiggle." I peered down at my shirt fondly. "And I think I'm in love with Kanta. He's handsome."

Keiko threw back her head and laughed loudly at my admission. It was true. Kanta had a handsome face and was a celebrity amongst the giants. I couldn't help but love my favorite wrestler.

When she was through laughing, Keiko collected her purse and opened the door. Before we exited the car, she told me quietly. "Today I find out the baby's gender." Keiko's eyes were swimming with an odd emotion, like pure happiness. "I want you to keep the gender a secret from us."

Startled at the news, I blinked rapidly. "R-really," I spluttered in astonishment. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I think it'll be exciting not knowing if the baby is a boy or a girl." Keiko's lips curled into a gentle smile and she rubbed her rounded tummy. "I think I know already."

I waited for her to say something more, but she simply gave her stomach a soft pat. Winking at me, she eased from her seat and I locked the doors.

* * *

"Drawing up maps of Demon World will be useless," drawled Hiei, as he flashed cold eyes toward Captain Otake. "And considering that you're planning on giving these 'maps' to demons, also, will only lead to blank stares. A majority of demons can't even read or connect the dots, you fool, and this is going to be a waste of time."

"We can teach demons how to read maps." Leader of the SDF guards, Otake, frowned beneath his bushy mustache. "Maps are essential for every world. Demon World is lacking such material and now that we are working with demons, it's high time we put your landmarks onto paper, or in this case, computers. We can't always rely on demon scents and the priestesses' natural abilities to lead the way toward temples – it takes too long!"

Koenma was silently regarding the two men with calm eyes.

Spirit World did have an outline of Demon World, as in to show the general size of the known territories, but Otake wanted a more detailed map with proper land markers. The problem was that Spirit World was not as familiar with Demon World as the demons that lived there and the demons they were in league with were reluctant to provide the necessary information for their charts. The reason being was that demons didn't rely on maps or any sense of direction, but scents and their own creative landmarks.

Hiei was right in saying that demons were uneducated because a majority demons spent their lives wandering the lands with only the need to become stronger. Spirit World had yet to find a demon that could effectively point out the exact locations of their world or have the tolerance to lend any aid to the government. As it was, the handful of demons they were working with was suspicious of them and there was a strained relationship between them all.

Mukuro and Yomi were acting through their advisors, but putting little effort in providing anything else – they had their own problems. Yusuke was even finding it tough to give assistance when his lands were getting hit hard by demon raids into the human villages on his territory. Mukuro coldly reminded Spirit World that she provided enough help with her patrol to guard the borders and that any extra services would be handled through Hiei if he so chooses to help. And although he once ate human souls, Yomi was now trying to push through a ban on the consumption of humans as they were dwindling in his lands, which was why Yusuke's lands were getting the sudden attention. Yomi wanted nothing more to add to his plate and was instead allowing Kurama to make a majority of his decisions with Spirit World provided it added no extra hassle.

Throughout the years, Yusuke had taken to try and provide a bit of a haven for the human race that was left in Demon World. His lands were even thriving with the seeds Kurama had provided to nurture the once barren lands. Yusuke's apple trees were becoming quite a commodity (sadly, there was a riot for the destruction of several miles of trees) and the human villages on his land were growing. Yusuke had actually pushed through a ban on taking human lives for his territory and the demons living on his lands were developing a taste for the new wildlife surging forth because of the growing grass and trees.

The increase in demon raids on the human village was also a great worry with the priestess teams they were sending in and adding up to their growing problems. Koenma was relieved he didn't have to attend to his duties of placing the dead in their proper place, as he was haggard with his new duties of overseeing this elaborate case.

One would think Demon World would have an elaborate map for their territories as they had greater technology than Human World – second only to Spirit World. But Demons didn't need maps. Maps were for a set government. Since Enki decided to reenact the territories back to its former rulers for an easier attempt at reigning in a so-called 'government', it only did so much. Enki was a peaceful demon, but he'd rather stray from the hassle of ruling if he could help it. He continued to win the Demon World Tournament as a means to keep harsher demons from ruling. Enki's ruling was respected by most demons in regards to his superior powers. His strength helped create a partial trust when the barrier was taken down and guarded now by those who had lost the tournament – it lessened the tension between the worlds.

But now Spirit World was requesting to replace the barrier for an extra safety precaution against Cain and doing so may form a revolt. They needed Enki and all three rulers, as their combined strength would downplay any violence from the demons.

"And why would I waste time providing any extra services? I have my contract. This _aid_ holds no interest for me," continued Hiei with closed eyes in his usual careless manner.

Captain Otake bristled and his moustache appeared to twitch with his unsettling frown. The captain exchanged glances with Koenma in an invite for him to help. Really, Hiei was entitled to resist this service, as he was dutifully serving his contract with Spirit World and Mukuro. This was simply a side request and the only reason Otake was pushing for Hiei's help was because of Hiei's jagan.

Spirit World had developed a device that worked well with reading minds, but the technology team was sure it would work perfectly with Hiei's jagan. The techs hoped to be able to distract Hiei's knowledge of the vast lands of Demon World and transfer the information in their database. Possible effects were drainage on Hiei's jagan, but the techs assured Otake that the energy would return well enough after a few hours. This device would deliver much more information on Demon World than what Kurama and Yusuke could give, as it would draw directly from Hiei's eye. After all, he had been to a great many places.

"Our teams are being sent out further into Demon World and with no layout of the lands, this causes some trouble. Kuwabara and his team were lost for six days before they were able to patch through with the help of Lord Mukuro's men and alert us of the delay. Other teams are bound to come to the same trouble. Our communication devices are spotty the further teams get sent out." Captain Otake indicated to the map of Demon World and pointed at the blank spots. "We're trying to spread out the teams – some closer to safer areas with known temples and others into farther lands to create an unpredictable pattern. All we really have to rely on, for the areas further out, are the priestesses' natural abilities to seek out the temples in Demon World."

Hiei's eyes lowered to ground midway of the captain's words, appearing to be mulling over them carefully. Koenma waited with the necessary documents to be signed, but didn't have to wait long as Hiei strode forward and scrawled a hasty signature upon the papers. With a bored look, Hiei left the room without a word.

Koenma had a feeling about Hiei's acceptance into lending more aid and it had to do with his sister. The prince also suspected that Hiei was keeping an eye on Kuwabara, not as a sudden kindness for the man, but because he was Hiei's sister's mate. With Kuwabara's team roaming Mukuro's lands, there was always a round of demon guards near his team's route. When Kuwabara had been lost, Mukuro's men had found him. Koenma wondered if Hiei had used his jagan to locate Kuwabara and send the proper guys to lead them in the right direction. Hiei wasn't linked to Kuwabara, but they had known each other for a long time.

But with Hiei, one never really knew what went through his head.

"I wouldn't keep Hiei waiting," announced Koenma when he straightened up his paperwork. "He's been here for a few hours and you're going to need to oversee that the helmet does no harm to his vitals."

When Otake left with a bow, Koenma stared out the window.

* * *

Hiei's head was throbbing intensely when he returned to Hakone and had not let up since those Spirit World techs placed their device upon his head. He knew there would be possible effects of that machine, but he had not expected the results to be severe. Beneath the throbbing, his mentality felt hazy, as if there was a veil covering up his focus and control. His body was weary, as if he hadn't slept in a week.

What the hell did he sign up for?

The only reason he agreed to providing those techs with Demon World locations was because of his sister's idiot mate. Normally, Hiei wouldn't care what happened to him, but now that his life was tied to his sister's, he had another responsibility thrust upon him. Why the hell Kuwabara felt the need to help when he should be at his sister's side was beyond him. The idiot was annoying with his save-the-day routine and becoming that pathetic hero that Hiei despised and yet, Hiei was doing the exact same thing with his stretch of tasks.

Hiei should stay out of sister's life, as she had done this to herself, but he found himself keeping track of Kuwabara's movements throughout his visits in Demon World. He couldn't do much if the man was in another territory, but Hiei speculated that Koenma was purposely placing Kuwabara on Mukuro's lands, as if the prince knew he would want to keep an eye on the idiot human. Hiei scowled. He was entirely too soft now if even that prince knew of his intentions.

Now he had this migraine, which was something he didn't need with all the headaches he had to suffer with throughout the meetings. He rarely had headaches, but his tasks (not that he would admit it) were making him weary.

The meetings were tedious and covering the constant drabbles, but he was obligated to attend them for Mukuro's benefit. He could really care less of any news that Spirit World deemed important. Hiei detested Spirit World's government, but was finding himself more involved than he wanted to be and all for one person (Kuwabara wasn't a person. He was an idiot). He was tied down to a busy schedule that allowed a small amount of time with his mate and about the only thing he could do was sleep in her bed for a few hours.

That was the other thing. Hiei had wanted to give her time from their first coupling, but his patience was wearing thin. He really had gone on too long without a woman and his needs were outweighing his self-control for wanting to ease his mate into a sexual life. Hiei simply didn't have the time to guide her, not with their current living predicaments. There would be time for slower intimacy when the paperwork went through for the house he had once again bought for his mate. He also hated having little to no privacy with his mate and he couldn't stand living with this other couple.

But he had already hurt her enough and he had vowed to keep from scaring her further, which was evident by her hesitant kisses. If he was going to be soft, then he was limiting it to one person. With another woman, he wouldn't have cared if he had been rough – his demon pride would have relished in such a brutal claim of innocence. Like always, she was an exception. He was going to have to _try_ and wait, but sometimes he couldn't even think past his own hand when she was around him. All he wanted to do was take her again like that first night, but such roughness was better saved for later when she was more used to him.

He didn't want to think that he was weak and suffering an astounding amount of stress. Hiei wasn't going to be like Urameshi and bickering with his woman every time he came back from Spirit World. He could handle his workload. He just wasn't use to this type of work of attending meetings and getting his jagan drained – he was used to fighting and causing a multitude of deaths. Being Mukuro's advisor for Spirit World was dull, aggravating, and wretched.

Until recently, Hiei and his mate rarely argued like that couple. His mate didn't even complain as much as normal women did, but if she ever did, he'd simply have to deal with it. He already knew he couldn't look at another woman when he only saw his mate. If he could, he would have sought his pleasure elsewhere instead of having to wait such an agonizingly long time. It was almost as if he was cursed to just that one woman.

Three days since that night, and he hadn't heard a word from his mate, but he was coming in later than usual and leaving before she was fully awake. He didn't know why it bothered him that they weren't talking. In the beginning, he went weeks without so much as a word to her and he rarely talked anyways. She was the talker… but he hadn't heard her blabbering for many months now, not since the three-month absence and his busy week.

Rubbing a hand over his face, Hiei glanced over at the woman sleeping next to him. She was faced away from him and buried beneath the covers, as if to keep him from seeing her slender curves. His hand itched to tear off the blanket, but with a low, savage growl, he turned away – he still had some control left. Even so, he gave a tiny shake of his head to clear his thoughts and the action only caused his head to pound more.

* * *

"_Karen…"_

Hearing my name, I opened my eyes blearily to the darkened room. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and twisted beneath the covers to check the time. It was four in the morning. Half asleep, I settled onto my back and tried to sleep when I heard Hiei groaning next to me.

Furrowing my brows, I rolled over to face the tall demon sprawled onto his back. He was clutching the sheets on either side of him and appeared to be struggling in his sleep. I watched his face contort in something akin to pain, but oddly enough, it was almost like… blissful agony. I would have thought he was having a nightmare, if it wasn't for the expression on his face.

When Hiei had arrived home at eleven, he did appear more tired than usual. There were shadows beneath his eyes and for the first time, his eyes were bloodshot, which made his irises appear darker. He kept pinching the bridge of his nose while eating and I knew not to bother him. I had been trying to keep as quiet as possible throughout his busy schedule because he looked exhausted every night. However, tonight, he almost appeared dead on his feet. I was worried about him, which was why I felt the need to shake him from this odd dream. What if it was a nightmare? Even if Hiei was one of the strongest demons I knew, he could still have nightmares.

"Hiei?" I placed a hand against his shoulder and shook lightly, "Hiei?"

After a couple of more whispers, his eyes flew open. At my angle next to him, I was able to see bitter disappointment flicker across his face. He seemed slightly lost as his hands shakily reached up to smooth over his face.

"Hiei," I asked hesitantly.

He turned his head and stared at me in confusion. Slowly, his eyes dipped down and I glanced down with him in bewilderment. A blush settled across my cheeks when I realized that he was staring at my chest which was clad in a tank top. It wouldn't be half as embarrassing if I had been wearing a bra, but as I wasn't and the room temperature was a tad nippy – well, he was noticing the evidence.

Swallowing, I pulled up at the blanket until he halted my movements with his hand. He rolled onto his side and stared down at my chest with an expression of pure torture. With my eyes adjusted to the darkness and this close to him, I saw his eyes darken with desire and an odd cloudiness. His large hand clenched tightly at the covers below my breasts and I inhaled unsteadily.

"Karen," his voice was heated and low, nearly drunk sounding as it fanned across my face.

I think his mind was still asleep and lost in the abyss of a dream, as he was speaking with the hint of a plea – almost as if he were begging. Unaccustomed to such a tone, I didn't know how to answer him. I gazed up at him and his eyes were narrowed slightly. He wasn't angry. He seemed to be in a type of pain and was staring down at me, as if to ask me for some type of relief. It wasn't until I saw the glimmer of an apology flash across his eyes that I realized what he wanted and my heart began beating. I didn't think this time would be gentle either, which was evident by the silent apology in his eyes.

I didn't know what all he was doing only that he was working to keep me from the temples. Lately, the exhaustion of his work was written on his face, which was why I didn't protest as he whipped the blanket off of us. I was reminded of the time I had my headaches and how he had always distracted me from the pain with soft kisses and his warmth. He was my personal aspirin. He wanted relief…

His teeth nipped harshly at my neck, as he fumbled with his pants. A startled moan left my lips and I hurried to stifle the noise with clenched teeth. This time wasn't for the removal of any clothes either, but he was shirtless and his body heat seeped through my thin tank top. I was trembling against him when his fingers hooked around the band of my shorts.

Brief flashes of the first time caused my eyes to widen in fear. I felt my body tremble with heat, but hurried to press my thighs together. Holding back the whimper, I searched his face for a sign of something to appease this anxiety – a beacon of courage to combat my nerves. But he wasn't looking at me again.

"Lift up," he demanded gruffly.

It was as if my body was attuned to his voice and heeded his request. I lifted my hips and he tugged swiftly at the articles covering my lower half. The fabrics landed somewhere in the distance and he was kneeing my thighs apart.

"Hiei," I whispered in desperation for him to look at me. "Hiei, look at –"

"_You're wet,"_ he growled roughly in my ear and I shuddered at his probing touch.

Once again, there were the feelings of humiliation creeping in beneath my jumble of emotions. Again, he was too eager and wasted no time in settling between my legs. My body stiffened at the familiar pressure and I clenched my eyes tightly. His entrance this time was slower, controlled, but there was still that flicker of discomfort, a stretch of pain, and a loud whimper worked its way from my mouth.

"Shh, Karen, you have to be quiet," he breathed against my earlobe.

For some reason, this seemed more painful than the first night. He was gentler as he braced himself on his forearms and eased into me, but my body was tense. I couldn't relax.

"Hiei," I asked questionably of the pain.

"You're thinking too much, Karen. You have to relax." Demanding lips worked their way down to my neck and his voice was a low rasp. "You can take me, can't you?"

It was like the first time where his hands and body were moving faster than my flustered mind could comprehend. I wished he would look at me – that was all I kept thinking throughout his thrusts.

This time my head didn't spin, not even briefly.

* * *

"No, I've been looking at this for a while," I assured Jet through my cell. Picking up my crossword book, I stared down at my herbal notes. "I think the notes on the side are a jumbled equation. I was using a magnifying glass," I picked up the magnifier by its handle, "and I can kind of see through all of the scratches Saruh made – but the problem is finding the right one. I _think_ I know which one it is she used for that binding paste."

Jet's voice rumbled in my ear, "I sense another problem."

Rolling my eyes, I leaned back in my desk chair and stared out my window. "Well, how are you with math because I'm horrible at it and this kind of looks… like calculus or something. I mean it's really long looking."

"Maybe it's a trick," Jet was eager to accuse and I thought I heard him slam his big fist against a desk, as if he had an idea. "She knew we were after her notes!"

"Jet, I doubt she thought you were going to seduce her for her notes."

Jet sighed on his end. "Maybe, maybe not, but don't think I'm going to figure this one out. I'm staring at my copied notes and have no idea what to do. By the way, who interrupted our phone call the last time?"

"Hiei."

Jet was taller and had a larger frame than Hiei, but he gave an unusual grunt that would have sounded like a squeak coming from someone else. "Did he hear anything," he asked lowly.

"I'm not sure, but he definitely heard the tone of your voice when you called my name. He's suspicious, but he hasn't asked about anything lately."

This was a good thing in my opinion, but talking about Hiei made me think about this morning and the slight ache between my legs. It wasn't all that painful, but more of an acknowledgement of his size. I had yet to see him because of his eagerness and my hesitance. I'm not sure I wanted too. I just wasn't enjoying sex.

Until this morning, he hadn't said a word to me since our first time. I thought moving into this next stage of our relationship would bring us closer, but I was more hesitant with him and he was more impatient. He hadn't even looked at me last night, as if I wasn't worthy of his gaze. The first time had happened the same way. And when he left this morning, he seemed frustrated, as if he expected more from me.

I felt…

"Karen, I sent those books. They should arrive in a few days."

At Jet's voice, I hurried to ward off my thoughts.

* * *

"Kurama, man," howled Yusuke excitedly as he peered up at the screen in Koenma's office. "It's been a long time."

Red ponytail whipped harshly to the side, Kurama flashed a charming smile from his side of the screen. He appeared weather worn, as he had been in Demon World for over three months leading various teams and handling Yomi's affairs. Outside, Yusuke could see the dark, crooked trees swaying to the right with what looked like a gush of brutal wind. The skies were blackened behind the redhead, but he didn't seem perplexed at the incoming storm.

"As you can see, I'm in the midst of an impending storm," yelled Kurama over the roaring wind, appearing to imitate a storm chaser. "This will pass easily enough and we've found decent shelter."

After allowing the two men to catch up, Koenma asked sincerely. "Your report came through, but I'd like an update on Priestess Mayalu's current condition."

Kurama nodded. "She's stable. As I wrote in the report, the temple had a tremendous amount of corrupted energy and Mayalu panicked at it. She was able to reign in her fear, extract it, and proceed with withdrawing the energy. However, the sudden bandit attack that snuck up on us left us with heavy casualties. Mayalu was stabbed with an unusual dagger laced with an unidentifiable poison. Have you been able to test it yet with the sample I've sent?"

"It's in the processing room as we speak," assured Koenma.

Having stayed behind his meeting to be able to see his friend, Yusuke perked up in his chair. "What happened to the woman?"

"The dagger caused a great deal of bleeding," answered Kurama swiftly. "We couldn't stop it. One of the guards tried to cauterize the wound, as it was rather large, so he could proceed with healing, but it seemed to have worsened. The wound would not close, but luckily, we ran into Priestess Saruh's team. She's knowledgeable with plants that I am unfamiliar with and was able to stop the bleeding. She also had a curative that's slowly healing the wound. I think my plants would have done more damage as mine are lace with demon energy. Priestess Mayalu is suffering with a fever and is greatly weakened, but with both of our teams, we are nearing the portal spot without further hindrances."

"Damn," Yusuke scratched at his head, but there was a gleam in his eyes at the excitement of it. "Sounds like you've had your hands full."

"Yes." Kurama wiped a hand through his stiff hair. "I'd like nothing more than to sleep in a bed, bathe properly, and eat something besides Goroji meat."

Not bothering to ask about the meat (it didn't sound appetizing), Yusuke winked, "and the woman. You forget to add that – 'sleep in a bed with a woman', or several women. We all know you're keeping them lined up, so stop trying to be sly man."

Rolling his eyes, Kurama calmly ducked from a flying branch without looking. "How's your family, Yusuke? Is Keiko doing okay?"

The excitement at seeing his friend faded a bit and Yusuke leaned in his chair. "Everyone's good. Karen's back and she looks a great deal better than before – you remember how she was looking," he gave Kurama a look, "like a puppy that got abused repeatedly and was made to keep wagging its tail, yeah, but she's looking good. Hiei's here and adding some cheer to our lives." At this, Kurama gave an amused chuckle, as he was enjoying the conversation greatly. "Keiko is getting out there," Yusuke rounded his hands in front of his stomach with exaggeration. "She's got me running to the store every time I come home and we're all trying to eat healthy because of the baby. She's looking good though and keeping that right hand busy against my cheek. Yeah, it's pretty hectic, but you can see for yourself when you get back home." He gave Kurama a cocky grin. "Alright? We'll have a couple of bottles of sake – maybe we'll drag Hiei with us and go hit up a bar. Hiei's actually a good drinking buddy. He keeps up with me, but I need some talking. All we do is try to out drink each other and this one time, I even managed to wriggle out an arm wrestling match… he won though, bastard."

"Kuwabara is due home in a week." Kurama's face was lit with that continuous grin, as if he hadn't enjoyed much of a conversation in a long time. He appeared genuinely happy to be seeing an old friend and was actually agreeing to Yusuke's proposal. "I say we wait until he's home."

This time, Yusuke slapped his knee and threw back his head in wild laughter. "Damn, now we really have to hit up some bars."

Koenma was shaking his head at the conversation. He hadn't really needed to talk to Kurama, but had done so for Yusuke's sake when the detective kept asking about his old teammates. Yusuke had a pinched look around his eyes, as if he was overwhelmed, but the reunion with his friend had chased away some of that stress.

"Koenma," Kurama suddenly said, startling the prince slightly. "I ran into Takeo and Jin, but they still haven't found our other demon friends."

Lifting an eyebrow, Koenma inquired, "really? It's been a few months since they left – wait, what about Chu?"

Yusuke grinned with a knowing look in his eyes, "what did you expect, Koenma? Takeo and Jin are two strong ass demons with the attitude of hyper boys. They've probably been challenging each other every chance they get and dawdling too much in any nearby villages. As for Chu, I bet that big guy gets distracted at every pub he comes across."

"He's actually quite right," replied Kurama. "We came across Takeo and Jin both passed out in the middle of a field. It seems they had an intense sparring session, but don't worry," Kurama held up a hand at Koenma's frown, "I've talked to them. They're heading to the north, in the glacial region, as that is where Jin thinks Touya is – but he hasn't seen the demon for many years when they all separated after the Demon World Tournament. Takeo also mentioned that Chu is a day behind them. We've been hearing rumors that a pub in a village, two days distance from here, was destroyed after a large demon challenged another in a knife-deathmatch. Ring any bells, Yusuke?"

Shrugging his shoulders at Koenma, Yusuke drawled out, "that's Chu, all right."

Koenma hung his head and the two men laughed. "I should have sent my SWAT members for this mission."

* * *

Once the ginger tea was cool enough, I poured the brew into the popsicle trays. Keiko hadn't experienced much morning sickness in the beginning of her pregnancy (or so she said), but lately she was feeling a bit nauseated. After doing some research earlier, I discovered that ginger tea mixed with a little honey and frozen into juice pops were great for combating morning sickness and was rather healthy. The tea tasted nice and when they were ready, I was going to try one too.

Wanting to surprise Keiko, I waited until she left with Yusuke (both with veins ticking at their temples again) to her parent's house before brewing the tea. I would have gone with them, but I was exhausted from my day of trying to figure out the conversions for my herbs (and I didn't want to suffer having to listen to them argue). All I had been able to do was create a mess of paper balls, broken pencils, and wrinkle my notes in aggravation. Math, any kind of math, was a brutal subject. I found no glory in trying to decipher the numbers and symbols.

With my snacks finished, I set the pops into the freezer and cleaned up my mess. It was as I was heading into the living room that the front door was opening. My eyes lit up and I hovered at the foot of the stairs, hoping it was Hiei. Hurriedly, I checked my attire and winced. I doubt a tie-dyed t-shirt and cut-off sweats were appealing. I fingered my wet, messy bun. Well, at least I showered. _You get what you get_, I thought with a shrug.

The shadows beneath Hiei's eyes were more pronounced when he entered the house. I chewed my lip worriedly at the stiffness of his shoulders. I didn't miss the way he pressed his palm against his temple, but when he glanced my way, I replaced my worry with a small smile. His darkened eyes met mine in a silent greeting.

"Are you hungry," I asked hurriedly and headed to the kitchen, "I already put the things away, but it won't take long –"

"No," he voiced tensely.

Hearing his tone, I paused and turned back to him. "Oh…"

Hiei appeared to be reprimanding himself at his short answer, but reached a hand toward my cheek. I was watching that cloudiness again in his eyes and tonight it was more visible. Despite the anger and annoyance of his aura, he very gently wrapped his arms around me and picked me up. My legs wrapped around his waist and my hands locked behind his neck, as he carried me up the stairs. I was swooning at the soft kisses against my neck and trying to remember when he had last been this gentle with his kisses.

It was when we entered my bedroom and he lowered me down onto the bed that my body reflexively tensed. And whatever patience, the gentle kisses, vanished –

"Karen, can you just try," he voiced coldly while braced over me.

I gazed into his narrowed eyes. "What do you mean –"

"Everytime I touch you, you tense up."

This close to him, I could smell the alcohol on his breath. It burned my nose. I had missed the smell, as I had been too caught up in my happiness at seeing him. He wasn't drunk. I didn't think he could be drunk, as he never drank excessively. As a demon, he was able to drink more than the average man, which was something I noticed whenever he drank the sake Daisuke would bring over. However, the alcohol coupled with that haziness in his eyes didn't bode well for him.

"It's not my fault!" I yelled up at him in a wounded voice. "I can't help it!"

Something in my words made his eyes widened briefly, but that cloudiness returned to harden his eyes. I winced when he leaned down and said icily, "it's just sex, Karen. Were you expecting it to be pretty?" He scoffed harshly when my eyes widened. "Romanticizing something like this," roughly he grabbed my hand and pressed it against his groin, "is pathetic." I forced away my blush at his rigid length and tried to pull away, but he held my hand tightly against him. "It's hot and sweaty, so whatever childish ideals you have about it in that head of yours can end now."

"What is your problem," I asked at the look in his eyes. He glanced away in annoyance. "You act like I complained, but I didn't, did I? Not once!" When he didn't answer, I hardened my eyes and wriggled from underneath him. "Just because I didn't finish with you –"

Giving an enraged growl, he pulled me back beneath him and pinned my wrists to the bed with one of his hands. He jerked at my sweats with one of his hands and the act startled me. I was frozen with brief fear when he pulled them completely off along with my panties. My shirt was jerked up along with my bra and the articles nearly blocked my vision with how bunched up they were. Snapping out of my fear, I furiously pressed my legs together to keep him from nudging them apart.

"_Open your legs_," he hissed venomously.

I was reminded of his instincts back at the temple and back then, I would have automatically heeded the demand. But stubbornly, I chased away my fears. He wasn't going to hurt me. I knew it, which was why I wasn't afraid to disobey him.

"Quit acting like a little girl," releasing my hands, he pried apart my thighs easily, "and learn to open your goddamn legs."

"Get off me." I uttered quietly with a humiliating blush and a tight throat, because his words made my heart clench, as if he squeezed the organ with his hand. "You've been drinking."

Whatever was bothering him wasn't enough to control him completely. He pushed off of me and zipped up his pants. Without another word, he stormed away. The front door slammed and minutes later, a car sped away. I glared up at the ceiling.

He didn't come home that night.

* * *

There comes a time in every guy's life when he was faced with the dilemma of providing a shoulder for a woman's tears and sacrificing his shirt to snot. Kenji had already done that with Keiko when the pretty woman had howled loudly that she was fat right in the middle of a supermarket. Having accompanied her to help with her groceries, as she was alone, Kenji was blushing at all the attention. He pulled through bravely and managed to get her home with his drenched t-shirt.

Kenji was surprised when Karen showed up on his doorstep. She hadn't visited him in a while and lately she was spending time at home these days. Kenji thought Karen was looking extremely pretty dressed in heels and a dress, but there was a dim light in her normally bright, cheery eyes. Instinctively, Kenji knew his friend was hurting and he led her inside with a comforting smile.

She didn't say anything, but remained sitting silently at his kitchen table. Kenji casually ordered a pizza from the American restaurant he had found months ago and sat with his friend. The pizza arrived. He tipped the boy handsomely. He fixed both of them plates. She took one bite, chewed, and began crying.

Kenji held his friend tightly, becoming once again, that guy to brave the tears of a fallen female.

* * *

A/N: Stay with me and come back next week. Thanks to **akasoeki** for beta reading.

I have deviant art page. Check it out. Link in profile.


	39. When Black Hearts Start Bleeding

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Nine: When Black Hearts Start Bleeding...

* * *

"Why are you trying to eat," asked Kenji feebly in a voice bordering on a tiny husk of laughter.

Despite the tears pouring down my face and the broken sobs tearing from my throat, I bit into my slice of pizza through several hiccups. "Because it's delicious," I gasped miserably around a mouthful.

I hadn't slept the entire night. I tried. The sheets were loud throughout all my tossing and turning, seeming to echo loudly within my darkened room. The blanket was too hot and heavy. It weighed down my body as if someone had snuck into my room and dropped several stones onto my chest. None of the pillows felt right. They were too hard. They were too soft. Then there just weren't enough damn pillows because I slapped them all off the bed, but felt the need to keep throwing them only I was too lazy to retrieve my pillows from the floor. The bed was hard and cold, which didn't make sense because my blankets were hot.

I didn't cry after he left me lying there in a dark room with my panties and sweats gone and my upper clothes all bunched up awkwardly that felt as if I was being strangled by an enraged hippie because all I could see was my tie-dyed shirt. It took me an entire minute just to unravel my shirt and bra from one another and straighten them out, which left me cursing loudly inside the empty house. Angrily, I had rolled over and proceeded to sleep – but that didn't work out.

It wasn't until morning when the walls began lighting up and the smell of an early breakfast began wafting beneath my doorway that his words started screaming in my head. All throughout the night, I glared at the walls, ceiling, floor, my arm, and that stupid clock, not because I was mad, but because I was trying desperately to keep from crying.

If I had cried, it would be over him. I had never cried over him. I always kept my tears in check, sucked them up until my ears popped, and willed the salty liquid to remain with their hands up, as if I was a cop to my own sadness. There were plenty of times where I wanted to cry because he called me pathetic, that thing, annoying girl, a bitch, stupid human, and so much more. There were plenty of times where we argued and I nearly bawled – that night he said I was pathetic for thinking someone would want to kidnap me, when he ran me down with the bike, the time in Shirakawa-go where he said I couldn't walk away, and there were countless others.

I nearly cried when I mistook his demand for taking my shirt off as an enticement toward sex. I nearly cried when he wouldn't acknowledge my outfits with more than a glare when we reunited. I cried after the first _night _with him, but that was mainly for the pain and my confusion – not him.

I held my tears in to keep from appearing weak in his presence. He sneered at tears. He said they were weak. He said I was foolish girl if I were to cry. He said he wouldn't want my tears to drench him. He even threatened to cut my arms off that day he thought I was crying.

Hiei always had a way with words, that natural ability to make any word sound so cruel and utterly believable. His words hit a place that punches and kicks could not reach, somewhere deep where one believed nothing could hurt them. They just echoed repeatedly and buried inside my body without mercy.

Yet, the majority for my tears wasn't just for the abrupt, violent words, but also because of me.

Kenji stared at his friend.

Even if she wasn't sobbing hysterically anymore, there were tears sliding from her eyes, seeming to be unstoppable. He had never seen his friend cry because he didn't think she liked crying in front of others. He didn't like displaying tears either, but mostly because he was a guy. He had to be manly, not that there was anything wrong with crying (he did cry, discreetly, while watching one of Keiko's soaps when hanging out with the two women). Staring at Karen, he was trying to find the reason for such sadness.

She didn't appear to have slept all night or maybe several, as she had dark circles beneath her eyes. In fact, Karen looked stressed. He could see it in the way she was sitting. She was huddled up, as if she was trying to guard herself or keep herself from falling over. Now that he looked at her, she looked ready to collapse like there were chains dragging her down until she could no longer stand, but she was defying them with sheer will.

When they were finished eating the entire box of pizza, Kenji watched Karen clean up. He tried to help, but she waved him off. She was trying to keep busy.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked finally when she washed her hands at the sink.

She grinned tiredly and dried her hands. "It's nothing. I'm just a silly girl, as always."

He didn't miss the trembling in her voice over the word 'girl' and he frowned. The way the tears were coming, falling silently like a leak in a glass, she had to have been holding these tears in for a long time. He wanted to place the blame for such pain on that demon, but no one cries this hard over a fight, that is, if she did have another one with Hiei. She must have been holding in her frustrations for months and something must have finally triggered it – sent everything overflowing, and stubbornly, Karen was trying to force it away with several slices of pizza and half-hearted grins.

"Is it Hiei," Kenji asked tentatively.

She stared out the window over the sink.

"Do I need to kick some ass?"

Hearing his question, Karen gave an honest laugh, but shook her head.

"I might not be able to, but I'll try. I'll even wear steel-toed boots," he pushed with a crooked grin. He was serious though. He'd give it his all against the demon to deliver one well-placed kick. Considering he'd be kicking Hiei's ass, one kick was about all he could promise on successfully landing.

"You would, wouldn't you," she asked with another laugh.

He didn't bother answering, but said, instead, "c'mon, Karen. It's me, Kenji. You can tell me anything."

Smoothing away her bangs, she whispered shakily, "… I ruined his life."

Kenji blinked. He hadn't been expecting that admission. He had been expecting her to go off about something Hiei did, but she was blaming herself.

"I don't understand." He voiced numbly, as he was reeling from her words. How could she have ruined his life? What did she mean?

Then, the words came pouring forth, quiet at first, but growing steadily in volume between gasps. "The _connection_…He settled, I know, he did." Kenji was going to ask about the connection, but she was blurting out her words. Karen slid down to the ground and her dress pooled around her in a soft flutter. "I always t-tried to make things easier and stay out of the way – give him the peace he once had or what life used to be like for him, but I just keep getting in trouble." She held up a finger, "the fire at the temple," she held up another finger, "the time he saved me from that mad woman demon in Tokyo, when he hid me away from the guards, driving for days on a bike with little sleep, providing a bed during those drives, finding a safe place for me to stay, saving me at the temple from shards of crystal, saving me all the damn time, and now he's doing all this work to keep me safe again."

Kenji blinked. He hadn't known Hiei had done all those things.

"I hardly ever see him now." Karen turned away, leaning her head against the counter. "He's miserable with all this work – this work to keep me from the temples and what am I doing?" At the last of her words, she appeared to be asking herself that question. "All the things he's done for me." She sobbed and Kenji pushed back from his chair. "I've never done anything for him, but cook and I burn half of those meals! I even made him eat it! I made him eat that horrid stir-fry and lied about adding celery to the meal. I don't even know what it was he ate, but it wasn't celery!

Another time and he might have laughed at that, but this wasn't a time for such gleeful laughter at the large demon eating burnt food made by his small friend. Kenji knelt down next to his friend and pulled her back into his arms. She was limp within his arms, as if there was nothing else left in her body. Karen's chin rested atop his shoulder and she peered at the opposite counters.

"I never meant to be a burden to him. I swear I didn't mean to, but it's a curse or something. I try so hard to – to be good enough for him. After all the trouble, I've caused him and the one thing he wants is something I'm horrible at. I can't do anything right. I can't do _that_ right!"

Kenji was about to ask what it was that Hiei wanted, but asked, instead, "so you feel like you have to be perfect as a payment – gratitude?" He was ready to chastise his friend when she blurted out in alarm.

"No, I love him! I've loved him for such a long time." She bowed her head and cried into his shoulder, "but I'm just weird," she hiccupped, "and tired. I'm really tired."

Kenji was still rather confused for his friend's tears, as he didn't think she could have ruined that demon's life in anyway. She was entirely too good natured to cause anyone trouble, but he figured it had something to do with the beginning of her confession. She might not ever tell him the real reason of how the two started off, but he didn't think Hiei thought of her as a burden even if he saved her all those times like she claimed… I mean, the way Hiei looked at his friend.

A blind person would be able to feel the charged energy whenever those two were near each other – it was that visible without having to see them with one's own eyes. The times when Hiei would pick up his friend from school, his eyes never left her, as she would head over to him. Kenji didn't think Karen realized how that demon followed her every movement with his eyes. If she did look, the bland expression came back and Hiei would go back to ignoring her with a look in his eyes, as if he were reprimanding his own self. Sometimes, Kenji would walk in the room with drinks in his hand, ready to finish helping Karen with her homework, when he would feel that energy between the two. But then, Hiei would scoff, say something rude, and leave the _kids_ to their 'pathetic work'.

Rubbing his friend's back, he allowed her to cry, but she was already trying to force away the tears. She really should continue to keep crying, just let it all out, because he felt that she needed to release them completely. He opened his mouth to say so when he heard 'Like a G6' echoing from above him. It was her phone. Kenji had set the ring tone for her, as Karen rarely cared about messing with her phone. He did everything to it: set the background, any apps (mostly so he could play with it, too), and fixed her music with a majority from back home (his playlist so he could jam). He had yet to work on applying individual ring tones, but he liked that song.

The jingle was coming from above him and he reached up with a long arm. Kenji's hand landed on the sky blue purse and he dragged it down toward them. Karen turned her head down and sniffled while watching him fumbling around inside the purse for her cell. Pulling the device out, he peered down at the name.

"It's Hiei," he whispered. He didn't know why he whispered. They were the only two people in the house, but the sight of his name seemed ominous, as if the demon could hear them.

Despite her confession, the guilt she placed on herself, Karen made an odd noise. It was an attempt at a huff of anger mixed with a sob. "Just let it ring."

Kenji set the phone down on the floor beside them and they both watched the phone buzzing along the floor with that song blaring in the kitchen. It was almost humorous for Hiei to be calling and having that ring tone blaring up from the tiny phone.

Kenji would have thought his friend might want to talk to Hiei. If she was placing this blame on herself, then surely talking with that demon was needed, but now she appeared slightly mad. This was the first time he had encountered the emotional roller coaster of a girl. First, she tried to eat and cry at the same time. She did end up crying. She confessed to the reason for her tears. Now, she was ignoring the demon. It didn't make sense unless the bastard did something, too…

When the call ended, they stared at it some more in silence. Then, rather calmly, Karen turned the phone off and placed it back in her purse.

"Why didn't you talk to him," he asked.

"Because I'm embarrassed," she responded quietly as she stood to her feet.

Kenji was confused.

Kenji watched his friend again. She was wiping at her face with a paper towel, having successfully stopped crying.

"_Can't we just talk?"_

Hearing her words from that day, Kenji finally understood. _She's lonely_, he thought. But there was something else to whatever was happening to those two and he didn't really know how to help. If he saw the demon, he'd probably attempt to say 'go tend to Karen, bastard', but when would he ever run into the demon?

"You know what," announced Kenji with all the purpose of needing to cheer up his friend. "Let's go rent some movies. Oh," he jumped to his feet, "and a video game – something for the Wii."

Wrinkling her nose, Karen frowned, "okay, but no dancing games."

He wilted. "Dude, why suppress your inner dancer? Let that wildness streak forth and guide you into the rhythm of music."

"You bruised my hip when you were too into the game. Your wildness streaked forth and guided you into hurting me… with the rhythm of music."

"I meant to softly knock into you," he mimicked with a sway of hips. When she glanced away with a little smile, he rolled his eyes. "Alright, but let's get something good."

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he scooped up his keys and guided her outside.

"Let's get another pizza," she stated.

"Definitely," he agreed.

* * *

He didn't know why he called her. He didn't why he did something so humane. He was simply waiting for his next session with that death helmet and mindlessly pressed the button. He should have known she wouldn't pick up.

Why was his control getting the best of him anyways? He went solidly for months without giving into the temptation to touch her and now, it was as if his hands had to touch her.

He hated her in the beginning. To have to be tied down to that human girl was degrading, but what was even more degrading – was his desire for her, that child.

He told himself that he hadn't been with anyone in months and that to be suddenly forced in the presence of that woman-child, had forced his body to react. He was disgusted that he could be turned on by the sight of that awkward girl. He tried to keep his distance. He didn't need the hassle of making conversation with her and having to listen to that voice, which he desperately tried to convince himself that her voice was annoying, like the squawk of a thousand children.

But there were times when he allowed himself to admire her, as the temptation was too great. He watched her from afar while she went on her walks to lengthen the bond. She thought he had been training, but he simply followed up in the trees. The time he had delivered that drawing to her, he had deliberately shifted the paper at the last minute so that she touched him. They had argued that first morning in Hakone. When he went to throttle her, he couldn't help but lean in and inhale her scent. He was tempted to kiss her neck, but he left. He had to leave. He nearly kissed her when she attacked him, thinking he was trying to kidnap her. If his sister and that idiot hadn't have arrived, he might have taken her that night.

And anytime she did end up plastering herself against him when she tripped, he shoved her away to keep from reacting to her then less developed curves. His touch was always brutal, a silent warning to make her understand that he did not care for her in the slightest and that he detested her presence. It was also a warning to himself, a reminder for Hiei to feel the frailty of her body and convince himself that she was weak, human, and a girl that he needed to keep away from. To hurt her then assured himself that he was not soft, so far gone off the deep end, that he was following that girl's every movement.

Admittedly, she had been beautiful then, but he replaced that beauty with disgust to keep himself from looking too much at her. She was too involved with everyone. She wasn't just a woman he could satisfy himself with and if he were to do so, he would have had to deal with her girlish emotions. She was young, younger than him and entirely naïve. She was a child, which was evident by that cursed school uniform she had to wear (which was also another turn on). Seeing that human school's name was like a beacon – another reason why he should have felt repulsed for feeling desire for a human girl.

He had tried to wipe out her face from his mind plenty of times. He thought if he cured this itch, that lust for her, he could continue ignoring her more effectively. He had lived in this world long enough that he knew the way it worked, how to act human, where to go, what to do – that he went in search of a woman, any woman. It seemed futile, really. It was pathetic. He was pathetic that he mostly ended up sitting at the counter and drinking that weak, human alcohol. Women came up to him, whispered in his ear, tried to entice him into finding a quieter place, and every time he tried, that gentle face kept appearing. It just wouldn't work. They didn't have blue eyes. They didn't have that smile. They didn't have that scent. They didn't laugh at their own mistakes, trip down those stairs, wind milling about to keep standing, or ask if he wanted more gyozas.

Then, he was constantly making sure she was safe when she was out with that boy, in town with Urameshi or his woman, or simply out on her own. He had been seeking that flare of energy in Tokyo before fleeing to the temple when he realized he could smell the smoke. Hiei had felt the frantic need to pull her away from the flames, knowing human skin was not as tough against fire as a demon. On the verge of blacking out, she apologized to him. He didn't understand why and he had never asked for such an apology. He was livid the time she wandered out of the theater and called him, telling him that she was walking that idiot's sister to her car. That woman was supposed to be missing and that girl, that weak girl had found her before them. In his anger, he shook her with shaking hands, wondering how someone could be so stupid as to walk a grown woman to her car in the dead of night. Hiei hated it when he was distracted by his thoughts of her that he failed to prevent her from falling onto her face. The time she twisted her ankle, he questioned why he cared that it bothered him that she was hurt.

But she wasn't a girl. He knew that. She wasn't a girl then. She wasn't a girl now. The reason why he kept looking after, needing to know she was safe, give her the things she wanted – that house in Shirakawa-go, knowing she loved nature, the sketchbook, allowing her to hold his hand, and answering a few of her questions – was because he did care for her greatly.

She adapted to him. Did he ever really adapt to her as much as she had to him? Even now, she was keeping from talking to him because he had silently trained her to keep from talking too much, but really, he didn't mind. Her voice was calming compared to the silence he once enjoyed. He had to coax her to talk now, something he noticed that night she tore off her shirt for him. She was more silent, keeping out of his way, and always hesitant to touch him.

"_I love you!"_

She showered him with smiles, amused him with her clumsiness, and gave him affection. No one ever said hello to him. If he laughed, she didn't question it or give him an odd look. She simply accepted it, as if he had done so for years. She was always greeting him warmly and making sure his needs were met. She never really denied him anything. Even when he turned to her that night, she didn't push him away as she should have because of her fears.

His actions this past week were dishonorable and selfish. He should have stopped that morning when his head was hurting. He hadn't been thinking clearly and was still riding the high of his dream – a dream of her, once again, lying naked beneath him on white sheets and gazing up at him with half-lidded blue eyes filled with need. She was blocking him out, replacing the pleasure with pain, because it was all she had known, what she expected. He had simply satisfied himself and then hated himself for losing control again. Hiei used her to kill the pain, like a weak demon begging release from torture.

Hiei was going to make it up to her last night. He had the time and privacy to show her that it wasn't all pain, that it was in her head, that he could pleasure her – but she tensed up. It was that agony in his head. It was that cloudiness. He had been drinking, which was something he shouldn't have done, as it only seemed to put him on edge. All the frustrations of his work and having little time with her, zoomed to the surface with a feral roar. He snapped at her and the words went flying from his mouth. He hadn't meant it. He knew she was scared of what he had done, but like always, unaware that she was afraid of him.

Guilt – just hot guilt was all he felt right now. He didn't like it. Hiei could cut his own arm off and not care one bit. He had sacrificed his own arm, his body even, to the brutal nature of his dragon and walked away with a smirk. Pain was just pain. It was intense, but nothing he couldn't handle. This guilt… all these _emotions_… was torment, an affliction of deep cruelty because he could _feel_. It was almost as if he was alive now and if he didn't adjust to this new emotional state, it would continue to eat away at him.

He wanted to see her trip again. He hadn't been around long enough to see if she was still as clumsy, if she still made that odd scream whenever she was three inches from hitting the ground. Hiei wanted to hear about what she did throughout the day, just as she used to tell him in Shirakawa-go when she went on about cleaning the house, discovering that new insect, and hating that poetry book. He wanted to watch her throw her head back and laugh until she was gasping for air.

And Hiei was just suffering with all this – the feeling of being alive.

Fuck…

"The machine is nearly ready, sir," announced a short ogre with green hair. "We're ready to get you strapped in now."

And now he was about to undergo that damn device again. He gazed down at his phone and stared at her name before forcing himself to shove the device into his pocket. Silently, he stood and strode past the ogre into the lab.

* * *

I was a coward. I really was, as I was avoiding Hiei. I didn't really know how to face him. I was embarrassed, hurt, and angry – at him, but mostly myself. I wished I could feel only one emotion, like when I was happy, there was just happiness. Now, when I am in any other mood, there are several other emotions warring with one another.

I think that if I were to face Hiei, I would end up crying. I didn't understand it. It had been two days since that fight and every time I thought of it, the words- how I, in a way, just felt like I kept disappointing him, my eyes would water and my throat would tighten. I could take a hit. I could withstand that backhand from Genkai without crying. One time, Genkai kicked me so hard I coughed up blood and knowing I needed to keep from crying, to be a little stronger, I refused to cry (although, I did cry in my room later with Jet at my side). I think I was just trying to be tougher for Hiei.

I did everything for him.

Despite it all, with Hiei, I was just myself. I was awkward and unsure. I was wondering what he thought, wanting to please him, and trying to be good enough for him.

We hardly did anything with one another and I was reminded of Valon's conversation. She had been adamant that we go on a few dates before having sex, but none of that happened. He was too busy. I was unsure of how to ask him or when to ask him. I didn't think he'd agree. Everything we did was just in the dark – the dead of night. The only time we had done anything together during the day was when we were alone in Shirakawa-go. I couldn't help but think he might be ashamed of me, as if the act of being seen with me in public was unbearable.

His one month here wasn't going as I had planned. Did plans work anyways? I had wanted this month to be special for him, but it was going in an entirely different direction.

Spending the day and night at Kenji's felt great. It was an up lifter to my sadness and frustrations. I did stop at home, help with dinner, and set a plate for Hiei. He really didn't spend enough time looking out for himself. I know he can demolish things with a flick of his hand, but he never took the time to sleep or eat properly these days. I wonder if he ate it… but someone ate it because it wasn't in the fridge when I came back home.

"Do you have everything?" asked Keiko.

I was fixing Hiei's plate again. There was a carrot slice hanging off the side and I nibbled on it, "yes, of course, Keiko –"

She cleared her throat.

After coming back home yesterday to help with dinner, Keiko made an odd request. She wanted me to call her and Yusuke, mom and dad. At first, I stood there blinking at her and almost burned the miso when it began boiling up a storm inside the pot. She reasoned that Yusuke needed the practice into fatherhood and said that she heard babies could hear everything around them while in the womb. I lifted my eyebrow up at that and nearly laughed, but seeing her face, the stern look in her eyes, I immediately swallowed. She was serious. Keiko thought they needed to get into the practice of being called by familial names and that the baby would understand more easily about what to call them. It was all for the baby and maybe this would soothe Yusuke's frazzled nerves (even if he tried to hide it with grumpiness).

"Yes, of course, _Mom_," I repeated.

She smiled in satisfaction and rubbed her stomach. It wasn't that I didn't like calling them by such names because they were my family – it was just odd, something I haven't done before (aside from doing so, jokingly). I had yet to call Yusuke by his new name and Keiko was giving me that 'Karen, we discussed this and don't make me repeat myself' look. _It's just for the baby_, I thought.

Putting Hiei's food away, I washed my hands and began cleaning up the counter top. There were footsteps and I glanced over my shoulder. Yusuke was squinting down at some papers in his hands and I wanted to roll my eyes. Why didn't he just wear his reading glasses? He had astounding vision, but with words, he seemed unable to focus on them. It's not as if we were going to laugh.

"Hey, kid, you ready?" he asked without looking up from the papers.

I opened my mouth to answer when Keiko elbowed me in the ribs. I wrinkled my nose, as her pointy elbow dug in enough to almost make me grunt. I think pregnancy made Keiko stronger, gave her higher powers, as she was able to have the final say in everything. Yusuke didn't know what Keiko had requested and I felt awkward calling him his new name. I glanced at her stomach. Could the baby really hear us? I was going to have to consult the books Jet had sent, but I'd probably do so tonight.

She jerked her head over at Yusuke with raised eyebrows and I mentally sighed. Setting the dishtowel aside, I said, firmly, as if bravely delivering a salute, "yes, _Dad_."

Immediately, he dropped the papers and they went fluttering in a storm to the kitchen floor. He made a low noise in his throat and glanced over at me with wide eyes. I blinked at him in slight fear. Keiko was laughing quietly into her hands. Oh yes, she was clearly enjoying this! I was wondering if I should sneak out the back door and take off running into the woods. He looked almost rabid. Was he going to slap me and tell me to take it back?

Then, quickly, he scratched the back of his head and nodded. Clearing his throat, he began picking up his papers. I moved forward to help, but he shook his head. "Nah, it's okay." He said, tensely. "You should get your things. You know how Keiko's dad is," he gave a stiff grin. "He hates tardiness or whatever."

Exchanging a worried glance with Keiko, I lifted my shoulders in a 'what the hell' kind of shrug. She was still shaking silently with mirth and waving me away with her hand. With a tiny sigh, I tiptoed around him and bounded up to my room.

Tonight, Yusuke was taking me to Keiko's parent's house. I was going to spend the night with them because in the morning, we were going to prepare this huge feast for a wedding reception. Keiko had to work and Yusuke had meetings tomorrow, so they were sending me. The Yukimuras were ecstatic to have me and complained that I spent too much time with Atsuko than with them. Another time and I might have declined, found some sort of excused, but I just needed time away from Hiei.

"You okay," asked Yusuke casually after we had been silent for some time in the car.

I was staring out the window amidst the soft music from the radio. Without glancing at him, I answered him in a clear voice, "yeah, I'm just preparing myself for Mr. Yukimura's bear hug. I think he's working out because last time he nearly broke my ribs."

Yusuke snorted. "He's got those sailor arms, so it's no wonder."

Needing to distract myself from thoughts of Hiei, I decided to ask him, "Yusuke, are you ready for the baby?"

I noticed that his hands clenched a bit around the steering wheel. "Sure," he answered stiffly. I frowned at his answer. Yusuke's back stiffened, as if were ready to face an opponent. What was wrong with him these days? I know he's stressed but this tense attitude was almost alarming. "Hey, don't you like this song? You kids have weird taste, but hell, it doesn't bother me."

He turned up the volume and I shifted in my seat to glance out the window again. He didn't want to talk anymore.

After all the hugs (I actually burped when Mr. Yukimura hugged me), I managed to slouch up to Keiko's old room. Mrs. Yukimura tittered around, unpacking my bag, and said she would press out my dress for when we went to cater at the booked club. I told her I didn't mind, that I could do it, but she just laughed. When she kissed me goodnight, I fell back onto the bed and sighed.

And once again, I was restless. I don't think I've slept well since Hiei's arrival. Mostly, I was worrying myself into a frenzy about keeping my cover from being blown. Then, everything that happened between us just kept sleep standing in the doorway. At least, when he had been sleeping beside me, I managed a few peaceful hours of uninterrupted sleep. If it wasn't for the cover up beneath my eyes, I'd look dead. I had forgotten to wear any when visiting Kenji, but it wouldn't have mattered. My tears would have washed it away.

Pulling my crossword book out, I glanced through several pages, studied the jumbled of hastily made equations, and after a while, just stared at the few pictures. I threw the book back into my purse. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out one of the books Jet had sent me from the temple. After twenty minutes, I blinked.

I blinked some more.

"Jet," I moaned in annoyance.

I wanted pregnancy books about healthy foods to eat, what to avoid, fun exercise – not a book that explained the complications of pregnancy and – I stared at the picture. I paled. The photograph showed a woman holding onto a hanging branch and squatting while women mingled around with outstretched hands. Was that an old-fashioned birthing technique? I turned a few pages. This was just another manual, but over delivering babies, the history of pregnancy throughout the centuries, and all sorts of things with accompanying pictures. There was a rather vivid photo of a baby's head _peeking_ through and I grimaced at the sight. Still, I turned the book._ How is that even possible?_

My phone was ringing.

Setting the book atop my stomach, I snatched up my phone. It was just after midnight and _he_ was calling me? I stared at his name and already could feel the lump rising to my throat. My eyes began burning and I shoved the phone beneath my pillow. Lying atop the pillow, I smothered the noise and covered my face with my hands. Each ring, every vibration, made my heart clench.

I didn't cry. I'm not crying anymore. This is silly. I already cried enough at Kenji's house. How was I ever going to face Hiei if I was tearing up at just a phone call from him?

It stopped.

Inhaling deeply, as if I had been holding my breath and maybe I had, I focused on calming myself. I breathed in and out, doing as Lena had taught me. I just needed to focus. I'm not a crybaby. It was stupid to be acting like this.

But it hurt. I felt like that phone, every ring, were like his words, and they were bullets flying into my damaged body. I had known him for so long, over a year, and I had never acted like this before… avoiding him.

What if he got tired of me? What if he took my avoidance as a sign that I didn't want him? I couldn't imagine going back to how things were, where he ignored me, and gave nothing but glares, a few rude words, and walked away…

As he did that night – he did all those things.

I grabbed my phone and prepared myself to call him. I can fix all this. I can do something… try harder, anything –

It started ringing.

Powering down the phone, I tossed it aside. I curled up onto my side and counted silently in my head. I couldn't do anything if nothing but blubbering words came forth from my mouth. He wouldn't like that. I wasn't going to cry in front of him or anywhere near him. I couldn't do that.

No more tears…

For the rest of the night, I focused on creating a dam to keep the tears at bay. Then, I could face him. I just needed a few days.

...

...

...

"Oh, baby, you're looking a tad red around the eyes." Mrs. Yukimura cooed. "Do you have allergies?" She quickly checked my forehead. I was reminded of Keiko. She always did that to me. "Maybe you're coming down with something? We know how prone you are to illnesses."

I almost grimaced at that last part. Every time I went away, everyone used the excused that I was sick with the flu or some unknown ailment. I was reminded of when I was younger and how sick I used to be as a child. I was completely healthy now, thank you.

"Nothing a bit of herbal tea can't fix," boomed Mr. Yukimura. "Keiko can't fix it like I can. Here, I'll whip it up real quick."

How they can be so chipper at four in the morning was beyond me.

We set to work.

I was dicing and slicing. I was stirring and baking. I was adding seasoning and nearly sneezed my brain out as the spices fluttered up into the air. I barely managed to run out of the kitchen and sneezed – otherwise, the food could have been ruined. The Yukimuras were professional and moved around like dancers while I twirled out of the way. It was almost like a synchronized dance where I was bounding away and they kept chasing after me in colorful leaps.

"Ah-ha," Mr. Yukimura grabbed me up into a huge hug. "You're not a Urameshi! You're a Yukimura! Why just look at the way you deboned that chicken leg!"

I stared down over his shoulder at my hands. In one hand was a bone. In the other hand was a huge chunk of meat. Somehow, I had managed to pull the bone out from the chicken in one go. The meat just slid away from the bone, as if I had pulled an arm from a sleeve. Seeing my work, Mr. Yukimura laughed loudly and hauled me up into his arms. He was proudly patting me on the back.

"I'm so proud," he set me down and handed me another piece of chicken.

The good thing about deboning chicken for an entire hour was how soft the grease made your hands. I bet I could go up against silk with the softness of my palms. But deboning chicken also left a smell to them and I had to spend twice the amount of time in the shower just to get rid of the stench. Frowning, I lifted my hand and gave a discreet smell. It smelled like that honey bath wash in the bathroom, which was better than meat odor. Slipping on my hand gloves, I let the elastic snap against my wrist.

There really wasn't a dress code for us, but Mrs. Yukimura suggested I wear all black. It looked professional. Keiko picked out the black dress and heels for me last night. To complete my professional look, I twisted my hair up into the bun. I didn't have to wear a hair net, as I was only serving for an hour before switching with one of the workers the Yukimuras hired. Still, I didn't want anything falling into the food.

"Make sure you tell all your friends that you ate the infamous Yukimuras cooking!" Mr. Yukimura yelled loudly from down the buffet table. "Karen?"

Leaning back, I stared past one of the workers.

"Don't forget to tell our slogan! Say it proud and loud!"

I gave a hasty smile.

I really didn't want to say the slogan, because it seemed goofy. Still, I said, "make sure you tell all your friends that you ate the infamous Yukimuras cooking." I didn't say it quite as loud as Mr. Yukimura did, but I gave a smile each time.

The lights were dim all around us save for our area. We had soft lamps near our table and I served the guests as quickly as possible. There were so many people. On the dance floor, strobe lights were flickering along to the booming music. I thought it was odd that we were serving food in a club with all this music. At Keiko and Yusuke's wedding, we ate first before dancing. This was different.

"Make sure you tell all your friends that you ate the infamous Yukimuras cooking," I mumbled to the next customer.

"Well, of course I will, beautiful, but I don't think I'll tell my friends about you," drawled a light voice.

Glancing up, I met ebony eyes and a charming grin. I smiled at the young man. He couldn't be more than a few years older. "Sorry, it's just a slogan," I explained.

"I'm not sorry at all." Giving a polite nod, he introduced himself, "I'm Mitsuya, Lee."

I would have shaken his hand, but I had on gloves. "Oh, Urameshi, Karen." I stared at the man behind him whom was waiting to be served. Lee didn't seem to care as he continued grinning. "I –"

"I think you should tell me when you get off."

Well, I was actually going to say 'I think I should get back to serving', but he interrupted me. I've never had the attention of another guy, so I wasn't sure how to decline his upfront request.

"I'm not moving from here until you tell me." He grinned. "I can stand here all day."

"What about your food," I reasoned. "It's going to get cold."

"I like cold food. There's nothing wrong with it."

"You're going to get tired of standing."

"I'd stand in the rain for you."

Okay, really, he was just being corny now. Even so, I almost laughed, but held it in with a grin. I looked away and stared at the other workers.

"Was that a laugh I almost heard?" Lee inquired. Leaning in, he said over the soft music, "tell me when you get off. I'll wait."

"I have a," I stumbled over my sentence, "I have a boyfriend." Actually, I was pretty sure Hiei was more than a boyfriend. It seemed funny to say mate or the equivalent here, as husband.

"Ah, well, see a boyfriend isn't permanent." Lee leaned away and stared at me with a smile. "Look, we can just talk, have a few drinks, and listen to the music. There's nothing wrong with that."

He didn't understand. The only man I saw was Hiei, but it was nice to meet someone new. He had a humorous quality to him… but he was also kind of annoying.

I firmly denied his request as politely as possible. "I have to get back to work. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Mitsuya."

He placed a hand over his heart. "It's like that? Wow, I think you hurt me." Grinning, he winked. "Okay, but I'll be watching you…"

And that sounded a little creepy.

Shaking my head, I apologized to the next customer and served him quickly. He had a grin on his face, too, but before he could utter a word, I gave a little snap of my tongs and he bounded away with a chuckle. These men must have been drinking too much if they were coming after me. They needed to focus on those women down on the dance floor dressed in flashy colors. I was dressed for a funeral and serving food. What was wrong with them?

"Karen, dear, why don't you join the others on the dance floor now," suggested Mrs. Yukimura after an hour. "You need to be down there and mingling with the young folk."

"I'm okay." I glanced at the door leading to the back room. "You'll be serving desserts soon. I can help with that. It's not a problem."

Laughing, Mrs. Yukimura patted my cheek. "No, no – you're off duty. You did enough with us this morning. Now, go on," she shooed me with her hands playfully. "I've got to check and see if they're really working back there. Did you eat? Don't forget to fix you a plate! You really need to be eating three full meals a day, snacks in between – oh, is that girl drinking while on the job!" She hurried away with a crossed look.

Now I had nothing to do except find somewhere to sit and read. I was already putting aside my responsibilities just moping around for the past few days. Heading to the back, I went to one of the lockers that I shared with the Yukimuras. I retrieved my purse and headed back into the crowded room. It was a bit dim to read, but a few tables had little lamps…

There!

It was abandoned, too. Since a majority of the people was on the dance floor and only the elder people were sitting about drinking, I found a little clothed table. Zigzagging amongst the tables and various people, I settled down into my seat. With a huge sigh, I pulled out my crossword and pencil. I think I was getting close to discovering something, but every time I realized it, it was just another dead end. It really wasn't making much sense to me.

"Ms. Urameshi, we meet again."

Peeking to the side, I met Lee's gleaming gaze. I hadn't been sitting for more than five minutes and he had already sought me out. Did he watch me the entire time I was serving food? Really, that was kind of unnerving.

I kind of didn't know what to say to him. I was tempted to say 'go dazzle the others, I have work to do'. I was actually too exhausted right now to be bothered by a stranger. I had no sleep last night. I actually cried a majority of the night (despite my refusal to cry). I spent most of the morning cooking and deboned chicken for an entire hour. I helped set up the buffet line and had to serve food in these heels. I just really wanted to sit, maybe fall asleep behind my book, and wait for Yusuke to pick me up in a few hours.

"You're thirsty," he said hurriedly after I kept staring at him. He waved down a passing waiter, "you need a drink."

"I – uh," I stammered. "I'm not a drinker." I was underage anyways, but I wasn't going to be a prude and say so. I didn't have a problem with alcohol. I was more than responsible to look after myself, but Mrs. Yukimura wouldn't like some strange man waving down a waiter for me.

A waiter carrying drinks (as that was all they did) stopped and placed two glasses of champagne before us with a bow.

"Nonsense," answered Lee in a delay response to my admission. "You need to relax."

I should ignore him, but it was sitting there and bubbles were staring up at me. I was curious at the taste of champagne. Glancing discreetly about the club, I searched for the Yukimuras. There were nowhere in sight and must have went to the back room. Lifting the glass, I tipped it back and sipped. It spritzed down my throat but the taste was soft. I took another sip. It actually didn't taste that bad.

"You know," drawled Lee, "I like an intelligent woman."

_An intelligent woman did crosswords,_ I asked silently. It was actually my notes, but crosswords were for anyone. Glancing over at him, I took note of his flushed face. I think he had one too many drinks while I was serving food. As long as he didn't act wildly, I'd sit here with this stranger. He wasn't doing anything and I wasn't a rude person.

Lee started talking about work. I think he said something about working in some type of firm, but I was more focused on the people dancing. I nodded now and again while sipping my drink, but I wasn't in the mood for much company.

"I was watching you move." I nodded mindlessly without looking at him. "You have a tight ass."

I just barely caught the end of his sentence and frowned at him. "Excuse me?"

"What?"

I lifted an eyebrow at his innocent expression. After a long minute, he chuckled and reached for my hand. I placed my hand in my lap and for some reason this amused him.

"Karen, you like playing hard to get, don't you," Lee grinned crookedly. "I don't mind. I like a nice chase, especially if it's a beauty like you."

"I'm not playing anything." I admitted honestly. "I just wanted to sit here."

"And doodle away in your book?"

"Yes."

"Look, can I be honest?"

Maybe I should take Mrs. Yukimura up on her offer. I hadn't eaten since this morning, which consisted of toast and a dozen mugs of tea. Staring down at the last of my champagne, I was ready to excuse myself and go eat something.

"… I think you're really beautiful and," murmured Lee, "a beautiful woman deserves a man –"

"_She has one_," answered a cool, smooth voice.

I stared at my champagne glass with wide eyes.

Hiei.

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A/N: Thanks to **akasoeki **beta reading this!

I have a deviant art page. Check it out. Link in profile.


	40. You Always Want What You're Running From

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

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Chapter Forty: You Always Want What You're Running From

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The familiar dark baritone sent my heart racing and I lifted my eyes up slowly to regard the demon beneath my lashes. Hiei stood out in the dim light of the club with his long-sleeved, white shirt and dark blue jeans. But really, in my world, he stood out in anything. The lights from across the room that kept reflecting over to us made his skin look enticing, especially the expanse of flesh visible from the three buttons of his shirt that were left unbuttoned. But when I reached his eyes, just briefly meeting his darkened gaze, I was reminded of everything that happened.

And that choked feeling came back, as I returned to staring down at the table. I swallowed. It hurt. The lump, that almost voiced sob, went rolling back down into my lungs. Quietly, I cleared my throat and sipped at my drink.

"Karen, who is this," questioned Lee with a hint of a slur.

I didn't bother answering him. My neck was tingling. I wanted to tear my hair down and shield my skin from the intensity of his eyes.

Yusuke should have picked me up. Someone else should have picked me up. The dam I had tried to build was incomplete and the water was pressing against the weakened structure. I could feel my eyes burning again, but I concentrated on keeping my blinks slow and steady. _Come on, Karen,_ I cheered pitifully. _Just relax, ignore him, don't meet his eyes, and you can get through this maturely._

The chair on my other side was pulled out and the legs dragged loudly along the floor. His warmth wrapped around me and I hadn't realized how cold I had felt today, as my body absorbed the soothing fire. In my peripheral vision, I could see him turn toward me. Hiei was sitting closer than necessary, enough that I could smell his soap and his natural spicy scent – that utter maleness. Rather easily, he pulled my chair toward him with his boot and I turned my head to stare at the last bit of my bubbly champagne. A large, rough hand touched the back of my knee and I inhaled shakily. He was holding me, as one would hold someone's hand across the table.

"Karen?" asked Lee.

I was hardly aware of Lee. I had hardly been aware of Lee since he sat beside me and started talking about whatever it was he did for a living. He might as well have been that ant upon a table that no one noticed. Even now, I couldn't remember what his last name had been and he had told me only an hour or so ago.

Despite my inner rule to avoid looking at Hiei, I turned my head slightly. I was reminded of the time when we first ate dinner together and I tried to glance over at him discreetly. He had been glaring right back with blazing red eyes and I remembered how I kept scratching at my face like a drug addict. They were still blazing, but they were dark and intense – it wasn't a glare. The red irises were smoldering within the darkened club. His eyes were flames flickering in a murky cave, a cold, winter storm, or a gloomy night in the forest. I would have thought he'd be glaring at Lee, but he was solely focused on me, as if Lee's presence wasn't worth acknowledging.

"Look, man, I was here first and she's tired, so –"

"I advise you to leave," demanded Hiei icily, "_now_."

Even though Hiei was looking at me, he was speaking to Lee.

"Karen, babe, let's get out of here –"

All I did was blink. I didn't even see Hiei move, but the tiny lamp blurred across the table and smashed against Lee's face as he had been leaning toward me. The bulb didn't shatter (surprisingly), but the base knocked rather harshly against Lee's face – enough that he clutched at his nose. I was surprised the table cloth remained intact. The white sheet hadn't even fluttered one bit and the lamp remained before Lee's face, steady as ever.

"Argghhh – What happened," Lee checked under the table. When he couldn't find any cause for the lamp's rash movement, he stood to his feet. "Wait, don't look at me!" He turned away when I glanced up at him. "I'll be back!"

I watched as he hurried away.

Then, I really didn't know what to do except stare across the room to observe the people dancing wildly to the music. The music was loud enough that it reached us all across the room, but only as soft background noise. The songs were exuberant and wild, remixes to keep the people dancing. I tried to get lost in watching the couples dance, like with Lee, but it was hard to concentrate when a hand was resting casually behind your knee. It was hard to ignore Hiei for any reason.

"Why are you here," I asked quietly after several minutes.

"If you had answered your phone you would have known I was picking you up. I suppose you wanted me to keep listening to that ridiculous voice mail?"

I was surprised he had said so much, but I didn't trust myself to look at him and make sure he was the silent demon I had always known. His voice was the same husk with that smooth, dark quality to it, but it wasn't rough. He was just talking to me.

After all the arguments I went through inside my head, my own disappointments, my confusion, I was still hurt and angry by what had happened – how he had acted. My vision was blurring, but I'm a professional at forcing away my tears. I've done it for a long time. I inhaled. I focused on that breath of air and my eyes cleared with it, as if my own breath was a breeze that swept over my eyes. We were in public and it wouldn't do to make a scene, to fall a part in front of strangers and his arrogance.

Today had been exhausting and I couldn't face any more drama, not today, or maybe several. I just wanted to ignore it, maybe even him, until I could handle it all. I especially didn't want to be alone with him- not yet, anyways. Surely, my weak dam would break. My emotions would roar through the sky. My tears would drown the city because there were still plenty, sitting right there behind my eyes. I did not want to face that outcome.

For now, I needed to stall; to pull myself together, while we were in public. So, I'll feigned ignorance and try to concentrate on the present – right here – in this club where Hiei was holding my knee and I was sagging with the fatigue of my busy day.

The keyword was try…

Lifting my glass, I sipped at the last of my drink. If he questioned the champagne I was finishing, he didn't acknowledge it in any way. And maybe he didn't care. I think with everything that happened I was entitled to drink. I can make a few of my own decisions and hopefully this bubbly liquid will help keep me from doing something stupid – like start crying until my nose was red and stuffy. Or heaven forbid, have that horrible moment where one nostril is clogged and the other runny.

But, then it was gone.

My glass was empty.

There was something about a beverage, any kind, which always lightened an awkward moment. If one is close to tears, didn't know what to do, say, how to act, one can always sip from their drink. It didn't even have to be alcohol. It could be a can of pop, water, or a juice box. Now I had nothing to do but sit there, in this silence between us, with music echoing in the background, and my hands sitting in my lap.

"Mrs. Yukimura said you guys needed to eat! She said 'Karen, remember my lecture over eating? Three meals a day and snacks in between!'" piped a feminine voice.

I glanced up at the cheery voice and met the young woman's beaming smile. Forcing a smile, I answered her politely, "oh, well, I was about to –"

"No need!" She chirped. "She sent me here with everything. Mrs. Yukimura says she knows just what you guys like and to eat it all!"

She appeared giddy for someone working. Her ponytail swished around with her movements as she set the table and placed two plates down. The position of the lamp must have bothered her because she frowned and set it back in the middle. She nodded to herself and left us with our dinner. The smell of the food made my stomach rumble. All the work and cooking I did made me realize just how hungry I was that I felt almost weak watching the steam waft from my plate. And food was a great distraction.

"Do you want another one," Hiei murmured in my ear, as I had been staring at my empty glass.

His low voice was seductive, a husky growl that fanned against my cheek. But I wasn't caving in to such a response. There was still that need to be standoffish with him.

I peeked over at him and he was leaning back in his seat with a smirk. Even if he had a smudge of shadows beneath his eyes and they were a tad blood shot, he appeared relaxed. He had that haziness in his eyes, an ever-present cloud these days, and appeared worn, but he was still extremely handsome, sexy, hot – just all sorts of things that shouldn't be legal.

It wasn't fair for him to be so attractive. It didn't even matter what time of day it was, he just always looked handsome. Right now, I felt ragged and weighed down by my hair, skin, and clothes. I felt like my lower eyelids were sagging from lack of sleep. I couldn't remember when I slept for more than three or four hours, save for that night between us. My skin felt clammy. I probably smelled like grease and various foods from standing at the buffet table. And my hair – it felt lank and sweaty. I bet if I unwound my hair it would just be lying flat against my head in greasy strands from all the steam that caused me to perspire while working the line.

Feeling dirty and irritated, I tore my eyes away from him without giving an answer. He had been smirking while he waited for my response. I arranged my face into a neutral expression.

Hiei did get me another glass and himself a beer, which he did in a bored tone to one of the passing, hired waiters. I thought I heard him chuckle, as I lifted my glass to my lips. Obviously, he found something amusing, but I kept my eyes trained on everything else but him. He finally removed his hand from my knee to turn his attention to his meal and I took that opportunity to turn my chair away to eat more properly. I scooted my chair, but Hiei quickly pulled me back with his boot and kept my chair locked in place. Refusing to give an indignant huff or wrinkle my nose in preparation for a retort, I simply turned in my seat and leaned forward to eat.

It had been a long time since I shared a meal with Hiei. The last time we ate together was over three months ago. Maybe another time, I would have been self-conscious. Did I hunch over too much? Did I make too much of a mess on my plate, pile too much food together, or look absolutely horrifying now that I ate more because of my changing metabolism after my abrupt training sessions? Yet, now, I didn't care. I just wanted to shove everything down into my stomach and have it fill the gnawing emptiness.

"Your work, then," he said after a moment.

Automatically, I knew he was referring to the stir-fry amongst the other food. It was my own, measly creation among the Yukimuras more talented, savory foods. "Mei's work," I corrected quietly around the rim of my glass.

"Hard rice, tough meat, and a handful of vegetables," he poked around his plate, "is not Mei's work."

He's lying! It wasn't overcooked! I cooked everything to perfection and seasoned it correctly. I did everything as the recipe called for and even added celery. Yes, that's right – because it does add nice coloring and a unique texture!

Jerkily, I picked up a mouthful and chewed thoughtfully. There was nothing wrong with it. I glanced over at him and Hiei's face was devoid of emotion. He ignored my obvious glare and I returned to my meal, eating with a tight jaw.

"But you didn't even make it right." My fingers tensed around my chopsticks as he spoke in casual manner. "You forgot that unsuitable and bitter oddity you tried to pass as celery."

"Well, as you can see," I answered moodily, "I did add celery." Narrowing my eyes down at my food, I said, "if it's not to your liking, then don't eat it. I was never meant to cook a five star meal and I didn't cook this for you anyways. Don't pity me by stomaching it."

"Are you done?"

I shot him look and stiffened. He had some sauce on his thumb and very leisurely stuck the digit in his mouth to clean away the sauce in such a way that a shiver went up my spine. Dark, red eyes met mine in a heated gaze, as he scraped his thumb along his upper teeth.

Finished, he dropped his hand to pick up his chopsticks, as if he didn't just do something… so very, very _sexy_. "My preferences are obvious, if I keep eating it, little fool."

I don't know why he was bringing all that up. He knew I hated it when he gloated about that burnt stir-fry I served him when I was trying hard to provide us with edible meals while on the run. Fuming silently, I nibbled on a piece of meat – a piece of meat that was not tough!

"Back," announced a light, male voice. I almost forgot who he was, but after a few blinks, I remembered his name. Lee's nose was red, but he seemed in good spirits again. "Don't worry, I'm okay," he glanced down at my meal and over at Hiei. "Oh, you're eating?" Lee resumed his seat and narrowed his eyes at Hiei. "Why's he still here?"

And again, the lamp blurred across the table and bumped against Lee's face. He gave a howl and clamped his hands over his nose. Hiei was indifferent to Lee's pain and had his head bent to continue eating, as if the lamp hadn't just shot across the table. Lee slapped a hand against his knee as he tried to keep from cursing.

"Okay, I think I keep tugging the wire beneath the table." Lee checked under the table and shook his head. "I have to go. I'd kiss your hand, but I'm unsuitable right now." Lee bowed and strode away with his head held high to keep his bloody nose from dripping onto his dress shirt. "I'll call you," he yelled with a cheeky grin over his shoulder. I thought I saw some blood swing around him with the way he whipped his head around to give that grin.

"You gave him your number," asked Hiei darkly.

No, I didn't give him anything aside from my name. However, I simply pretended not to hear the soft growl in Hiei's voice. I was still annoyed that he made fun of the dish I had provided for the reception. I was still angry at everything that had happened. I was still embarrassed, hurt, and guilty – which was all confusing. So I ignored him. It's better that way right now.

I expected Hiei to make a snide remark or do something dangerous. Yet, he surprised me by leaning in close to whisper in my ear, "are you trying to play hard to get with me, Karen?" I stiffened. Hiei must have heard Lee's words from earlier just before he announced himself.

I really didn't understand his behavior. He was still quiet and appeared bored, but he was more involved with me. I looked around at the crowded club. Hiei was even acting this way in public. But I didn't answer. I merely leaned away. I didn't miss how his red eyes were glittering in amusement as he settled back in his chair to finish his beer.

When we finished, I contented myself with running my finger along the rim of my glass. My hunger was sated and now I felt sleepy. I sipped from my glass lazily. I had been slowly draining my drink throughout dinner. With my exhausted mind, weary bones, and full stomach, the two glasses made me feel drowsy, almost dizzy-like. I don't think drinking any amount of liquid after experiencing so much stress was healthy or responsible.

His hand was on my knee again, but this time he smoothed it up so that his fingers were splayed along my thigh, just under my dress. "You do realize we still have things to discuss."

I should have brushed off his hand, but his thumb was moving in a slow circle. It felt wonderful. I waited for him to say more, but he was silent. The sensation of his hand made my eyes fluttered close. I was getting extremely sleepy. My chin dipped toward my chest and the darkness behind my eyelids was relaxing. The music was a lullaby…

Images of Spirit World appeared inside my head and I was watching ferry girls soaring through the fluffy, pink clouds with mega-watt smiles. Jorge and I were having tea. Koenma was serving us food and his pacifier dropped into my cup where it bobbed up and down – and turned into Yusuke's face!

I snapped awake. I must have been so exhausted that I dozed off in my chair. The weird dream faded with Yusuke's booming laughter and I tried to remember what exactly I had been dreaming about in my catnap. Briefly, I remembered Hiei had said something, which was why I had awakened.

Drowsily, I glanced over at him, "what?" His expression was unreadable, but his touch was still light along my skin.

"I said, it's time to leave, you little fool. Any longer and your snores will be louder than what you humans call music."

I don't snore! Kenji had honestly answered me when I asked if I snored during all the times we had sleepovers. Kenji snored rather loudly that it rivaled Yusuke's herd of beavers, as they sawed logs. I don't know what Hiei's problem is with all his mockery. That's all he's been doing tonight. He was deliberately making fun of me, as if he were trying to entice me into an argument. I wasn't caving. I hated arguing and didn't need any more moody feelings! I was barely holding up!

Turning away, I smashed my crossword book into my purse and stood up with a glare. He followed behind me and I'm sure if I glanced over my shoulder, there would be a cruel smirk upon his good-looking face.

Despite my bristling anger, I stopped to say goodbye to the Yukimuras. Mrs. Yukimura had a knowing smile on her face when she saw Hiei and I knew she wanted to ask questions, but refrained. I had never told her about Hiei, only Atsuko. Obviously, they knew Hiei, as he had worked closely with Yusuke. Still, Mr. Yukimura regarded Hiei as if he was a stranger and he most likely was to the couple. I saw Mr. Yukimura glaring at Hiei and when he shook his hand, the older man's muscles flexed. Hiei didn't appear bothered by the manly handshake. I gave the two hugs, received a wet kiss from Mrs. Yukimura, and bruised ribs from Mr. Yukimura, before heading to the exit with a promise to visit in a few days.

We had to walk around the dance floor, but there was such a large crowd that they were milling outside the roped off area to dance. The strobe lights were making me dizzy. I never liked strobe lights. They hurt my head and given how tired I was, I had to strain my eyes to maneuver through everyone. I almost stumbled over a stray glass (who put that on the floor!), but saw it and stepped over it awkwardly. Hiei's arm went around my waist and irked, I tried to roll away from his hold.

There was the hint of teasing in Hiei's voice when he leaned down to whisper in my ear. Given the loud, booming music, his mouth was practically against my ear. "If you don't want to trip in that tiny dress, I suggest you stop struggling."

I think the alcohol went to my head. I had so few, but I had been very tired. None of this really made sense, but I didn't fight his hold and he guided me to the exit. I didn't even pull away as he led me to the car and he kept his arm firmly in place.

Seated in the car, I took a few minutes to inspect the interior. I hadn't had a chance to see inside the new vehicle. Everything was clean – no speck of dust, but that was to be expected considering the vehicle was a recent purchase. I glanced at the center of the dash panel and stared at the head unit. The radio screen and everything around it glowed red in the gloom of the car. There was small-benched seat behind us that was meant to hold items or squeeze an extra two people inside the two-door car. Settling in my seat, I turned my head to stare out the window.

We were twenty minutes into the ride when I noticed he didn't take the freeway leading toward Hakone. We were in the middle of Tokyo, but I couldn't remember what district. Then, I saw him turn on his blinker near a hotel.

"What are you doing," I asked.

"Driving."

"But why are you pulling in to a hotel?"

"I think it's obvious."

And the dam broke.

I was going to be alone with him.

I wasn't ready to face him so soon.

A tear slid down my cheek and feeling the sob come roaring up, I pushed open my door before he completely parked the car. My seatbelt flew off like a whip. My heart beat quickened and I felt the sudden need to run – to get away. I hadn't felt the need to run in such a long time, but the feeling was familiar… the adrenaline that surged, as if it knew I needed to be alone.

There was a reason why I bolted away from that orphanage so quickly – why I had already knew what to pack, why I kept my money on me at all times, and why my legs knew which alleys to take at such a late night to avoid any scuffles with nearby childish gangs. There was another reason why I had never been officially adopted, or why I had been so adamant about not running away when those guards came after me in Tokyo, as it had been a reminder of my cowardly ways.

I knew how to run. I knew many of those alleys in New York like the back of my hand. I may not know how to read maps, but I remembered my markers easily enough, such as those particular clothes on the hanging line, several smoke shops, and the old lady that swept her doorstep every evening. I knew where to go, to hide, to avoid being found – but the alleys here had been different. This country had been different, strange, and unknown. I hadn't known where to turn. I had barely been able to navigate with all the broken English. I had been caught. Even if I had known this country, Hiei would have caught me anyway.

I stopped running away when I was thirteen. The only times I ran away now was because Maria had told me to and because I had thought Kurama and Hiei had kidnapped me for dangerous reasons. I grew out of that stage. I left it behind me like an empty popcorn bag in a theater room. It had bothered me when Hiei said all I had been doing was just running and lying. I had turned away before he could see the flash of memories in my eyes as I remembered hearing the caseworker relate to Jesse about needing to teach me the wrongs of running.

"_You'll never get anywhere if you keep running," the snobby woman said. "Parents don't want a girl with a background for running."_

For me, running was an easy solution.

And they kept saying, behind my back, when I wasn't looking – once a runner, always a runner.

_"Don't do this," he pleaded, "don't run."_

I refused to listen to Jesse's words. I refused them that night, too. I didn't stay long enough to hear him say 'again'. Karen's cheery and bright for sure, but when that foster home can't keep another kid, out goes the small, sick looking child. So I ran away, unable to face that I was unwanted. It was just one time. I just ran one time but they wouldn't ever forget, would they? Every home afterward, the few that took me in, found out eventually and back I went to the orphanage. I didn't have a bad childhood, but I wished I never ran away, because when they expect you to run, you just run. I ran when I was overwhelmed. I ran when I was unwanted. I ran when I didn't know what else do when a situation became too great.

Why was I running now – because I didn't want to fall apart in front of him.

I just needed a few more days. Why couldn't karma have just given me a few more days? Jesse always said that one shouldn't be alone when they cried. He only said that because I would run away whenever I felt the need to cry. He only said that because I climbed up in that tree in the backyard to keep him from seeing that it hurt my feelings when that caseworker said it was my fault that I wasn't getting a family. _Be the perfect child, Karen,_ she said. _Be perfect and you'll find a home._

I hadn't thought about my past in a long time, not since Hiei arrived back and all the fights began between us. I think it was hitting me hard because I had lived with Hiei the longest than with any other home outside the orphanage. I may have lived with Yusuke and Keiko, but Hiei had been a big part of my life since coming here.

I didn't want to lose him.

"_My little fool doesn't cry now, does she?"_

I loved him. Above all else, I did.

And I was crying. I'm crying!

Breakdowns happened out of nowhere, something I found out when I took a bite of that pizza and burst into tears. I couldn't explain to Kenji that I was stressed, that I didn't know why I was crying so hard. I never cried like that in front of someone. That day, I panicked at the sound of my sobs and forced myself to quit. I wouldn't allow such a fall to finish. My hands wouldn't stop shaking for a long time that day and Kenji kept asking if I was okay. Karen, just keep crying. Let it all out.

But I ignored him.

And maybe I suppressed my emotions for too long. I didn't cry properly over Jesse's drunken behavior, Maria's scream, being thrown into all this chaos, and falling in love with a demon. I just did a few sniffles with Lena and that time Keiko held me. I just did a few hollow cries in the bathroom or in my own darkened room. I was my own sole witness to my tears. It had been that way for a long time.

I knew this was going to happen if I saw Hiei. The bubbly champagne had just been that corked plug in my boat, but now it was gone, and I was sinking into the lake.

If I could just get away for a little while, just until this passes, then I'll be awkward and cheery again. This will pass. It would. Just a few days – one – a couple of hours –

It was cooler now, as the sun was setting, but I wasted little time on noticing the atmosphere. I ran across the parking lot. The street lamps were flickering to life with every click of my heels. I crossed the road cutting the lots and headlights to my right bloomed to life. I turned and my eyes widened at the approaching car –

Strong arms wrapped around me and whipped me away, not in blur, but quickly enough to allow the car to pass with an angry honk. I hung there limply in Hiei's arms, my back to his chest, and covered my face with my hands.

"_What the hell do you think you're doing?" _he demanded furiously. I was whirled around, but I kept my face covered. His hands wrapped around my upper arms tightly and gave a harsh shake. "Are you that foolish to go running into the damn street? Do you have any idea what you do to me when you act so careless, you stupid woman!"

"G-go away," I shrugged away from him, but shaking off his hands was like pulling chains from a wall.

My sobs pierced through the dim noise of Tokyo around us and he dropped his hands. My cries were ripping with such force that my body was shaking. All I could do was hide my face. Another time and I might have said they were just intense hiccups. He didn't say anything and I turned away, dragging my sobs with me.

After a full minute, where I wandered somewhere past the car, unsure of really where I was going now that I was crying, I started sprinting again. Before I could make it several feet, I was hauled back against him and I twisted about within his arms to dislodge these manacles. I was growing angry. I just wanted to get away for a few hours. I just wanted to run.

"Stop it!"

"Quit running away from me," Hiei reprimanded, as he dragged me off to the hotel entrance.

"Let me go!" I clawed at his arms. "I want to be left alone! Why won't you just leave me alone when I want to be left alone! You're not supposed to see me like this!"

He didn't brush off my attacks. He just kept carrying me, lifting me high enough that I couldn't dig my heels into the concrete. "You've been running away from me since I came back! I left you alone long enough, so just shut up –"

I tried to jerk my elbow into his stomach, but he seemed attuned to my body, as if he could read me, because he shifted his hold quickly to trap my arms. Furious, my heart and head pounding harshly, I whipped my head back and felt the back of my skull knock against him. There was a loud, enraged grunt and his arms let up enough that I went zooming forward while massaging the back of my head.

"Shit," he cursed behind me, "how can your little head be that hard!"

There wasn't anyone in the hotel lobby when Hiei finally caught me and dragged me inside. If the desk clerk was in a nearby room and heard our struggles, I doubt he'd want to come investigate. The elevator went up a few floors. I was jerking away from the hand wrapped around my arm when he marched us down the abandoned hallway. He dug a keycard from his pocket, jammed it in the door, and kicked open the door. Once inside, I tore away from him and ran into the bathroom.

My hands were shaking. My entire body was shaking. It felt like I was losing control, like some unknown being entered my body and was acting through me. Adrenaline was high and soaring through my blood and I just wanted to stop shaking, to leave, or do something to get rid of this feeling – everything – all the emotions that wouldn't stop attacking my head. I had never felt like this before in my life, because I had always been able to run. I needed to run! I didn't know what to do! I didn't know how to stop from shaking! I just wanted to stop shaking!

The door opened behind me and I spun around to push it close.

"Karen, open the door." Hiei ordered tensely from the other side.

Ignoring him, I tried breathing deeply, but all I did was hiccup because of my sobs. I stared in the mirror and saw my pale face, red-rimmed eyes, and the tears streaking down my cheeks. Hiccuping, I reached up and jerked out the bobby pins from my hair. I needed to calm down. I just have to try and calm down.

"Open the door!"

"Please, just go away!" I yelled back. Washing my face with cold water, I tried to lower my temperature. I felt hot. My face was flushed. "I need to be alone right now!"

There was a growl and the door opened again. I hurried to push it back and it slammed shut. When it flung open again, I grabbed the tiny bottles sitting along the sink and threw them at him. He didn't even bother dodging my makeshift weapons. The bottles thudded against his chest, but they were just tiny birds colliding into a concrete wall.

When I had nothing left, I shoved against his chest, "get out of my bathroom!"

Surprisingly, I managed to shove him away and slam the door shut. Locking the door, I turned back to washing my hands and face.

"Get out here and talk to me!"

"I don't want to talk to you anymore. You never listen to me anyways." I scrubbed at my hands and wished the cold water would freeze away the shivers. Even if I said I didn't want to talk to him, I was shrieking, "Why didn't you just let me run? I told you to just go away and leave me alone! I can handle this myself, so just go away!"

"Running doesn't solve anything –"

"Shut up!" For some reason, I was trying to gather up all the bobby pins and stack them neatly to the side of the sink. They just kept falling over the edge. "Just leave me alone," I moaned miserably. "Go on. Go away. I'll b-be fine."

"None of your words matter, if you won't look me in the eye and say it! Is this what you are now, a coward –"

I threw the hand towel at the door and it smacked loudly. "Of course I am a coward and weak and pathetic and a girl – a girl that didn't learn to open her goddamn legs! Isn't that what you said? Isn't that everything you've ever called me?"

"I'm only going to ask you one last time," he voiced darkly, "to open this door."

"But it doesn't matter." I wiped at my eyes. "You don't have to settle for me anymore. I'm not going to burden you anymore so just leave. I don't need you. I can take of myself. I've been doing it f-for years now! You can quit going to those meetings and just go back to the way things were – find some pretty demon woman who won't disappoint you! The bond's stretched enough that you can leave!" There was a muffled curse and I sniffed. "If you don't leave, then I will! I swear I will!"

My words echoed in the bathroom and I hiccuped with it. I tried to listen, but it was hard to hear anything over my stuttering sobs. But it was silent on his end –

The door went flying open and I gave a startled scream. Although his eyes were narrowed dangerously and the irises dark – a warning glare – I still reached for the handful of towels next to the sink. I threw them at him, but he reached for me anyways. I twisted and turned within his arms, as he hauled me up against him. I put up enough of a struggle that we were stumbling out of the bathroom. I almost tripped over a shampoo bottle.

I don't think he was expecting me to push my arms outward to throw off the arms wrapped around me, as it was a simple maneuver out of a pin that Genkai had taught me. His eyes narrowed at my actions and I straightened my dress in as calm a manner as I could manage.

"I'm leaving!" I declared shakily. I meant to say I'm running, but that word was taboo. I didn't like hearing it anymore. "I need to be alone, so don't follow me! I mean it!"

But my shakiness and heavy, rash, out of control mind wouldn't let me focus on Genkai's training. When he reached for me, I just swiped at his hand. He wouldn't listen to me. Growling, he picked me up. I was beating on his back with my fists until he threw me on the bed. I bounced against the mattress a few times and gritted my teeth in annoyance.

"I hate it when you throw me around!" I screamed at him when I sat up.

He didn't seem phased in the slightest. He actually appeared slightly amused. The feral rage at my behavior that I thought would be in his eyes was only a simmer. It didn't matter. I wanted to deal some damage, stop shaking, and leave.

I gave an annoyed growl and reached for the many pillows on the bed. Grabbing them, I began hurling them at him. Unlike the other times where I usually missed, this time, my aim was spot on and each pillow smacked against his face. I thought I heard him say 'why are you always throwing pillows at me' but his voice was muffled in the chaos. Amidst the pillows, I took off one of my heels and threw that at him, too. He grunted loudly when it knocked against his forehead with a solid 'thunk'.

"Dammit, Karen," he seethed as he kneaded his temple.

I threw my other shoe for good measure, but he swatted it away. It was with my last pillow that I noticed he was shirtless. He was undoing his pants when he approached the bed and I surged to my knees. Cursing, I brandished that pillow as if it were a light saber. He was both trying to take his pants off and block my attacks, but he managed to slip off his jeans. I didn't even pause at the fact that he was wearing underwear. I just beat him with that one pillow.

"You bastard," I growled. I was now resorting to curses. "Y-you – DICK! Why won't you let me go! Why won't you listen to me!"

Giving one last hit, I dropped the pillow and turned to roll off the bed. Hiei flipped me onto my back. Before he could loom over me, I aimed a hasty punch, several slaps, another punch, and he had the audacity to laugh.

"A punch or a slap, little fool," Hiei stated above me with a smirk, "make up your mind."

I hesitated, a fraction of a second, just before my hands went flying up to his face. My palms smashed against his jaw and cheek, as if I couldn't decide on making a fist for a punch or go in for a clawed slap. I didn't know why he wasn't doing anything now to avoid my assaults. Hiei simply swooped in now and again to press a kiss to my cheek, which infuriated me more.

It went on and on until I had all but rolled over to try and crawl away. He pressed his weight against me and pinned me there until I was resting on my stomach. Large hands splayed over my own on either side of my head and I couldn't move. He was too heavy. I was too tired. My body stopped shaking and in its place was extreme numbness. The adrenaline died away and my heartbeat was slowing down with my last sobs. With my cheek pressed to the cool sheets, I stared at his bandaged hand through burning eyes, as it trapped my own into the mattress.

Exhausted, I closed my eyes to the heated lips gliding across my cheek to brush away my tears. I heard a zipper being undone. Cool air splashed across my back as the fabric of my dress split at the back. He was pressing open-mouthed kisses down my spine and toward my lower back before rolling me over. Opening my eyes, I watched as he lifted me to slip the dress from my shoulders and then he did the same to my hips to remove the rest of the dress. His hands went to my sides and his thumbs settled at my front, where my rib cage curved inward. Those burning hands smoothed down and seemed to cover every inch of my sides and stomach.

"Look at your body," Hiei whispered as he bent his head to kiss my stomach. A sobbed moan left my lips when his tongue dipped into my navel.

Hiei stopped after a few more kisses and nips. He climbed off of me and took my dress with him. I didn't have enough strength to turn my head to see what he was doing or even enough energy to cover my nearly naked body. The lights went off to douse the room and it was a relief to my sore eyes. When he came back, he was slipping something over my head and pulling my arms through long sleeves.

I was starting to fall asleep as Hiei pressed his lips to my face again. Heated lips went to my swollen eyelids and I hiccuped at the feeling of the soothing fire.

This is a dream. It really must be a dream. At one point, I thought I heard him whisper 'little sweetheart' into my ear. His dark, husky voice made it sound so pretty and sensual, but it didn't make sense in my fatigued mind. Even so, my heart fluttered at it – soared high up in the endless sky of my mind. I wished it could stay there… among the pink clouds of my dreary mind.

"Go to sleep," whispered a voice.

"Okay."

…

…

…

I was warm when I awakened after what seemed like several nights' of sleep. The room was faintly lit and I shifted a tad to stare at the red glow from behind the heavy curtains. Blinking drowsily, I stared at the nearest wall and waited for my mind to snap out of its drunken sleep.

When I was fully awake, I noticed the muscular arm wrapped around my waist, the long legs tangled within mine, the heaviness of a large body pressed fully against my back. I was completely surrounded by warmth and strength. It felt like nothing could hurt me – nothing could penetrate through this cage of sunlight.

Memories of last night flashed through my head. The need to flee, that choked feeling, was gone and in its place was embarrassment at my actions. Maybe I could place the blame on the champagne (it was really bubbly), as to admit that I had a break down sounded childish. I didn't want to have to answer why exactly I ran or why I lashed out like a caged animal. It just happened because of all the stress. The tears just kept pouring because of everything. The fighting was my attempt to try and flee. The running was my past coming to check on me, tap my shoulder, and be that reminder of some of the insecurities I had when I was younger.

My past was not dark. It was good – great, even. It just had a few problems in it. I had my secrets like anyone else and hiding them allowed everyone to see the person I always was… just me. I wished the potential parents then could have seen that side of me instead of my records. But, I had my family now and a large group of friends. I should never forget that.

Still, the past came swooping in like that bird-like, caseworker woman used to whenever I would come slouching back to the orphanage on my own after a few hours. I was expecting her to come bursting through the door, shake her finger at me, and say 'what did I tell you. Now I have to report this again, Karen'. I don't know why she harped on me so much. It's not as if I did drugs or stole things like Billy did – my offense was actually rather meager.

For an orphan, I think I did all right with myself. I went to school every day. I never did drugs. I never drank. I picked up trash if I saw it lying a few feet from a trashcan. I helped chased a businessman's papers that went flying from his briefcase. I liked to eat popsicles with any of the new lonely kids that arrived. I did my share of work without complaints. I happily helped Jesse and Maria around the orphanage.

I did okay on my own.

But it was another day. It was time to face it, as I always did whenever things went wrong, with my natural kind, clumsy self. I just moved on and accepted the future sunlit days.

Attempting to squirm from my cage, I stopped when Hiei's arm tightened. There was a low grunt behind me and a kiss was pressed into the side of my neck as he nuzzled against me. I waited a solid minute before trying again to slip from his hold.

"Go back to sleep," he rasped into my ear.

I cleared my throat. Hoarsely, as my throat hurt, I mumbled, "restroom."

His arm tightened again, just a tad, before he released me. Edging away from him, I pushed myself up from the mattress. Carefully, I maneuvered around the articles of clothing. Seeing the clothes, I glanced down at myself and blushed. I know I wore long t-shirts to bed a few times, but I had never walked around in them while in his presence… and I could feel him watching me. Self-consciously, I tugged at the hem of his shirt. It was long enough to cover everything, but the heat of his gaze made me tremble.

After using the restroom, I avoided looking in the mirror. I didn't want to see if my eyelids were swollen or how red my eyes were against my skin. I just washed my face and ran my fingers through my hair a few times to untangle it.

Heading back out into the room, I glanced up at the hanging clock. Seeing the time, I blinked in surprise. It was just after eleven. Did I really sleep that long? It had been lighted when we left the club last night…

Despite the lengthy sleep, I was still tired. I wanted to return to the soft mattress and plush pillows, but I forced myself to walk away from the bed. My neck was tingling. He was watching me, but I couldn't meet his eyes.

Hiding my yawn, I settled into the small, plush armchair near the window. I turned sideways in the chair and pulled my legs up to my chest. Curious, I pushed aside the curtain. We were a few floors up and I stared down at the life below us.

"Come back to bed."

At the soft command, I let the curtain fall back into place. I picked at imaginary lint from his shirt for a long moment. Then, quietly, I climbed back into bed and settled on my side to face him. My eyes stayed locked on his bare chest, as I was unsure what to say. Nothing between us was solved. All I did was beat him with pillows and smash my palms against his face.

But he didn't want to talk yet. It was like one of those moments long ago where words were not needed right now. Just save them for later.

Hiei pulled me toward him and rolled onto his back until I rested atop him.

I thought about pushing away, rolling back onto my side, but this was okay. This was nice – just a few more hours of sleep before I have to face reality again.

* * *

A/N: And thank my beta, **akasoeki! **She gives me so much encouragement. See you next week!

I have a deviant art page. Check it out. Link in profile.


	41. A Little Piece of Heaven Raising Hell

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Forty-One: A Little Piece Of Heaven Raising Hell

* * *

Hiei leaned back in his chair and stared at the young woman curled up in the middle of the bed. He watched the sunlight beaming down on her face, as his mind replayed the events of last night.

Hiei had already been watching her for quite some time in that dim lit club. Invisible to her eyes, he was allowed brief glimpses of her smiles and pleasant laughter as she served the line of customers – such sights he hadn't seen since he came back. The last smile she had given him was when he held her hand as he led her back up to the house. Even if the laughter was short-lived, merely for the benefit of the customers complimenting the food, just the sound of it made his gaze softened.

Simply seeing her, after the few days apart, chased away his fatigue and gave him peace. It was almost as if he had been wandering in the depths of Demon World searching for that solitude – something he had tried doing before he met her with just this need to find it and end his restless search. His search ended when he stared down at the mud ridden, blue-eyed woman and felt the connection chain them together.

Hiei didn't even know how he survived the three months without seeing her bright eyes or hearing her soft voice delivering that rediculous slogan. The only things he had to represent her the last few days were her voicemail and the meals she left for him. Pathetically, he went to her bedroom just to inhale her scent. It wasn't as if he slept any during those long days. His mind just kept replaying the pained look in her eyes when he left her that night, as he absentmindedly flipped through her sketchbook.

And those meals she had left him only made it worse. They had no taste – not unless she was sitting there beside him, drinking a mug of tea and watching him with sparkling eyes. She waited up for him when everyone else went to bed. No matter how late it was, she was up and waiting. There was just that soft admission before he slid in next to her in bed –

"_I miss you_."

She never said it as missing him when he was gone the entire day, because she would have said 'I missed you'. Hiei tried to understand what it was she meant. It never sounded right without that past tense to it. He shrugged it off and went to sleep without responding. Then, she would roll over to sleep on her side of the bed.

He knew what she meant now.

When she sat at that table, all alone, he realized that he left her alone too many times. Hiei had done that to her in Shiragawa-go, too – just left her in that house by herself for hours while he watched from afar and trained. It wasn't until much later that he saw how it bothered her to be alone with nothing but wooden walls and those sheets of paper that she sketched on to keep her company. She never complained. In a way, she even seemed used to being on her own – like himself, only she made her own sunlight while he burrowed into ice for warmth.

And then that disgusting creature slithered over to her table with a cheeky grin and gleaming eyes. He noticed that there were plenty of other males shooting glances at Karen. It was very much like a pack of wolves circling a small, white rabbit. One by one, they were waiting to go in for the kill, to have their shot. Once that man failed – which looked to be soon, another one was going to take up that seat and fetch her a drink, then get her to smile or laugh – just give them even a second glance from those pretty blue eyes.

She was entirely oblivious to it all, as she focused on her book or the people dancing beneath the flashing lights. Didn't she know how alluring she appeared, sitting in the soft glow of that lamp? It haloed her, that light. It surrounded her and made everything else seem bleak in comparison, as if she were an angel sent to grace this darkened world.

So innocent – even after everything, she was still so innocent.

He never wanted that particular attribute to disappear.

But why did he keep trying to pluck those wings off with cruel fingers and acid-laced words? Because it was to bind her down here – keep her rooted to the ground so that she couldn't leave him. If he clipped her wings, then she couldn't fly away. He did that with his hands, body, and voice.

Even if he caught her with his bloodstained hands, she could still keep her affections locked away. Once again, her smiles and laughter was something he had to watch from afar. It was no longer directed at him because he had turned his back too often and had laughed off her emotions.

They all saw her beauty – those wolves grinning in the darkness. They all saw that light that he had tried to smother to keep it from attracting others, but it was too strong. She had her pick among the room. All she had to do was smile and each one would be eating from her palm. Every man watching her would gladly wrap himself around her finger, give her things that Hiei couldn't give, and submit themselves to her. All for that one little smile.

None of them deserved her.

He knew he didn't deserve her.

Hiei chased them away, even if it hurt her to see him. He didn't miss how those blue eyes rippled with pain, as she turned from him. Seeing her eyes, the way she trembled, made him remember that human boy of hers.

-Flashback-

Hiei crouched down until he was sitting on his heels to stare into Karen's closet.

She really should have known better than to hide anything from him. He knew exactly what it was that she was doing behind his back.

After their _first_ night together, Hiei had approached Koenma. Lena had fed him the story that she was there to report her finished training. Perhaps it was true. If that was the truth, then why was Karen hiding from him? She kept turning away from him, ducking her eyes, and running off with everyone else but him. He had given her more than enough chances to confess. If she wasn't going to tell him, then he'd go to the one person that wouldn't dare to keep anything from him.

Koenma.

The prince told him everything. He seemed to be expecting that Hiei would come seeking him out for news about his mate. Koenma revealed everything – that old woman's training, the weapon issued, something about herbal plants, and learning first aid – as Karen had requested to help with the temples. Angered, he demanded the documents she had signed. Koenma very calmly replied that he had never filed them, as he knew Hiei would seek him out. Slipping her file out, he handed the papers to him and Hiei left to look them over before his next meeting.

She should have told him. The fact that she felt the need to hide from him, hide anything at all, was infuriating… and painful. He would have thought she'd tell him anything. She always told him everything, even if it was something stupid like one of Daisuke's brats learning how to whistle. Hiei didn't like that the one person that had ever completely trusted him was now avoiding him. He didn't know which outweighed the other, the livid anger or the echoing pain.

Hiei had an hour to kill before leaving to pick up Karen. After reading over her paperwork, he saw the equipment she was lent. There was also information about her blood work and that she had taken a birth control. Just something else she should have mentioned. He'd read over that later. Right now, he wanted to focus on _this_ equipment.

Hiei had noticed the day she was leaving with that boy, that she seemed quite adamant on keeping him from her closet. She wasn't usually a messy person. He had lived with her long enough to know that she kept things tidy. Except for her underwear drawer (he shook his head to rid the images of those two thongs), as that was always messy. From his position on the bed, he had seen one of the floorboards wiggle. Then, she covered it up. To check his theory, he had knocked aside her purse to see if the said floorboard was loose. It was.

He hadn't thought anymore of it until now when he actually had time to look around her room. He had already found the crossword puzzles in her bottom desk drawer. The books might not have caught his interest, but all these books were without their covers. He counted them, shuffling through each set with a frown. She had five. Hiei checked the documents of Lena's notes over what she had taken from the temple. It was entirely up to date. He set the books back into the drawer.

The closet was next.

Hiei spent a few minutes admiring a few of her new shoes and held them within his hands. His mind dragged up images of her long legs, which led him to remember how they felt beneath his hands that first night. He hurriedly tossed aside the shoes to shake off his thoughts. Scooting away the mess, he saw the slightly skewed floorboard. He pried up the end easily with a hand and saw the bag below. His eyes narrowed.

Switching out her bag, he dumped her equipment into her old green bag and threw the other bag into the corner of her closet. His next task was to pack her a set of clothes and the choices were limited. Hiei was tempted to pack one of her miniskirts still dangling from one of the hangers, but he knew better. There was hardly anything available, but he tossed in as comfortable an outfit he could find into the duffel bag beside him. It was as he was throwing in her shoes that he caught the sight of something at the end of the closet. His eyes widened and his mind tried to place the name for the outfit he was seeing…

Was that a garter set?

What was she trying to do – torture him to death? This was exactly why he was struggling just to keep his hands off her for more than a minute. It was just one surprise after another these days. The lies, the hiding, and these sexy outfits – all these changes were killing him. She might as well plunge her hand into his jagan and rip it out because it would be less painful than the agony of fighting down his raging lust.

Tearing his eyes away, Hiei headed toward her dresser and opened the first drawer. And again, he decided, his choices were limited as he was faced with the sight of her thongs. Once again, his mind pictured her in these naughty fabrics. Did she even wear them? Well, she was going to have to as that was all there was amidst the bras and socks. Grabbing the underwear, he threw it in the bag. He couldn't help smirking at the blush he knew was going to color those cheeks tomorrow when she saw what he had packed. He shrugged. It was her fault.

He heard a car pulling up the driveway as he zipped up the duffel bag. Hiei tilted his head, trying to catch the intruder's energy. It was weak and he recognized it as his mate's human boy. Scowling, he fixed everything into place and set the bags down. There was a knock on the front door and he casually strolled downstairs to see what it was that boy wanted. He'd ignore the boy, normally, but damn it if he didn't have to act somewhat decent to that human because of his woman.

"Uh," was Kenji's greeting at the sight of Hiei's face. "… Is Karen home?"

"No."

At Hiei's grunt of a response, Kenji stuffed his left hand into his pocket to keep from patting it nervously against his pant leg. "Well, Karen left this cookbook the other night. She wanted to try a few different recipes, so here."

Hiei took the book without a word, glanced at the cover, and then stared back at Kenji. He lifted a brow when the boy continued standing there with a suddenly stern expression. Hiei really didn't feel like talking to him. He would have grunted, but there was only a handful of people that could discern his grunts. Karen was accomplished at it – and once again, she was on his mind.

"What," Hiei finally snapped after several seconds.

Kenji's eyes widened, but he straightened his frames and stood to his full height. "Look, I just wanted to tell you that I think Karen's about ready to blow up and it has something to do with whatever happened between you guys." Kenji waited for Hiei to say something, but the demon was regarding him with a bland look. "Do you get it?" Kenji comically held up his hand, as if wielding imaginary chalk. "B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N – a breakdown, you know? She was pretty shaky the other night. I mean, it was bound to happen with being a priestess and everything, but I guess you guys are having," Kenji murmured his last word, "problems." He cleared his throat. "It must have just pushed her – she keeps to herself too much when something is bothering her, always has. Anyways, she needs to let it out or something. You should go talk to her."

Hiei didn't appear fazed by the news and Kenji's fists clenched in anger. Here Kenji was, trying to give some advice, and this bastard was just staring at him, as if he could care less what was wrong with his best friend.

"Man, you don't even care! You don't give one shit about Karen!"

If Kenji had been looking close enough, he would have seen the way Hiei's eyes flashed at him.

"No wonder she's all lonely! You act all superior, like you demons are so much better than us," Kenji's hazel eyes brightened in his fury. "Really, you're just all selfish bastards and you know what, we have plenty of those here in our world, too. Go figure. But you're the most selfish bastard of all." Kenji ignored Hiei's tightening jaw. He didn't care anymore. If he was getting his ass kicked, well, he'd get it kicked with these words flying in the air. "You may have saved her a thousand times to the point that she worships the ground you walk on and keeps saying that your good, but I don't see it. I don't know what goes on behind your closed doors, but I know you don't treat her right. She gives without asking for anything in return. She will _never_ ask for anything in return and you know I'm right." Angrily, Kenji stepped closer until he was right up against Hiei to stare him in the face. "So the fact that you treat her bad, so bad that she cried nonstop for an hour, makes you lower than a human. Welcome to the bottom."

Kenji crossed his arms and glared at the demon as he waited for a response. Hiei narrowed his eyes a tad, but Kenji matched the glare. He wasn't _too_ terrified. Kenji was the best friend. Anything happens to him and he could go running off to Karen – not that he would, but it was an option. _So he does care_, Kenji thought. _Yeah, I can see it now. He's just stubborn._ They stared at one another for a long moment until Kenji smirked in a challengingly way. The wheels in his head began spinning. Kenji needed to try a different tact. Karen assured him that the demon cared, that he wasn't like everyone else – you just had to look beneath the underneath. He was starting to see what she meant.

"I _bet_ you can't handle the sight of her tears. Maybe that's why she's always hiding from you. Maybe that's why she came to me. You wouldn't be able to handle the fact that you caused – GRRRHHH!"

Kenji slapped a hand to either side of his head, as he felt fire erupt inside his mind. Hiei blurred from view and all he saw was darkness. Then, the past couple of days began swimming before his eyes, like a rewinding movie. It was all flying in streaming colors from him singing in the shower (what the hell?), driving in town, flirting with that woman, eating a whole bag of chips – and his head was being pulled apart. He kept seeing the bag of chips. The bright chip bag was twirling around in his mind and crumbs were flying in the air –

-_Show me your day with Karen, not your damn chips!_-

Kenji wasn't sure who was speaking. But at the demand, his mind dragged up images of his day with Karen. The images slowed to normal speed and focused in on Karen sinking to the floor in tears. Kenji could hear her words echoing inside his head as she blamed herself for ruining Hiei's life. Then, it was just replaying. His head was burning, but the images of Karen crying wouldn't leave him. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Hiei swam back into view. There was a slight second where Kenji saw the demon's eyes widened briefly, but then his glare came back in place.

"D-did you just," Kenji rubbed his temples, "you were in my head!" Kenji peered up at the demon through an eye, as his other was clenched shut in pain. He pointed at the demon's forehead. Kenji knew about that demon's eye. "You used that on me. If you would have just waited, I was going to ask you to read my mind. Damn," Kenji shook his head with a grimace, "is this going to fade?"

"Hn."

Hiei slammed the door, leaving Kenji to massage his temples. Despite Hiei's cold attitude, the pain was fading. Yet, Kenji couldn't help casting an angry glare over his shoulder as he walked back to his car.

As Hiei was walking back up the stairs, he heard Kenji's muffled yell. "I forgot to tell you to go tend to Karen, you bastard!"

-End of Flashback-

_Stupid boy_, Hiei thought with a grimace. If he wasn't Karen's _friend_, Hiei might have kicked the human all the way back to his car. However, he was on icy ground with his woman and to hurt the boy severely would have Karen hating him. He might have been too harsh with his jagan, but that boy was annoying him. It wasn't as if the pain was great. If that human idiot knew what was good for him, he'd never mention that day to Karen.

Hate…

Hiei couldn't stand the thought of her hating him. Just the thought that she would utter that word or regard him with a look of hatred made his head pound and the world came to a standstill. The outcome would be too great and he might not survive it. He didn't even know if she hated him now from his actions this past week.

She wouldn't talk to him. She wouldn't meet his gaze. She was avoiding him. He kept listening to her voicemail, which had been the only way that he could hear her voice these past few days. Pathetic. He was fucked up if he was now resorting to listening to her voicemail just to hear her voice or lying in her bed to inhale her scent – just dragging up what warmth he could find. He went three months, _three long months_, and now he couldn't handle a few days without seeing or hearing her? Such a spin this _relationship_ had taken.

And he was actually chasing her.

Since she wouldn't acknowledge him, Hiei had spent the time watching her face while she sat there in the dim lighting. The few times she would meet his gaze, he saw what the boy was talking about and he didn't miss how her hands shook when she finished her drink. He knew Karen didn't like to display emotions outside of her awkward happiness, just as she knew he had to be in control at all times. There were times when she would avoid him, anyone, until she could slap her smiles back onto her face. So he knew she wouldn't want to make a scene in public, which was why he got her another glass and began teasing her to confuse her from her tears. She had always been easily distracted, especially by his voice and that stir-fry business.

Distract her from the pain by invoking annoyance. That's all he had been trying to do. And he might have enjoyed teasing her, if only to get her to talk to him.

Then, she started running from him.

After witnessing the images in that boy's head, Hiei had felt that hot guilt tearing through him again. He had hurt her enough to cause those tears. After every bruise, his vile words to her, and he finally pushed her enough to cause her to cry. He was right in thinking, that he wouldn't know what would happen if he were to see her cry – it was worse than he had anticipated. It clawed at insides with a thousand knives, just digging in and carving away with a loathing laughter. It was more painful than his dragon raging inside him, as it gnawed his insides in its heated fury.

What was worse was when he heard her confessions on that kitchen floor – stupid, little fool.

He never thought about that blasted connection while saving her. He never gave the connection a single thought when he placed his mark on her. He wanted her. He had wanted her since the beginning. The connection just tied them together. The heat was different from that line of string that made up their bond.

To witness her tears first hand sent him reeling in alarm. He had been stunned when he snatched her away from the path of that car and proceeded to yell at her idiotic ways. The sobs and tears made his chest hurt. The way she was hiding her face, trying to keep him from seeing, tortured him, but also made him angry. He was reminded of all her secretive ways this past week. He was reminded of that boy's words. He was reminded of how he constantly berated her tears, that they were a weakness, that he invoked that fear into her until she felt the need to hide them from him.

Originally, he had booked the hotel room because he didn't feel like driving all the way to Hakone and he wanted a full night's sleep alone with his mate. He hated hearing all the squabbling from that other couple. Since he didn't have to be in Spirit World the next day, he needed to trap her someplace, alone, for the sleep he knew that they both needed. He knew how exhausted she was – it rivaled his. _Just to sleep_, he had scolded himself. They needed it, even if he had to drag her in there with him.

He _literally_ dragged her in there with him.

She kept trying to run from him. Every word she said was a burning knife pressed against his heart, because he couldn't let her go. Hiei knew he didn't deserve her affections, that he hurt her more times than he could remember, was still hurting her, but he was selfish. She was his woman. He could never let her go and if she ran, he'd go tearing through the city after her. The thought of her not being in his life made everything seem cold and dark – empty. If being alive hurt, he'd rather experience it than go back to all those years of feeling nothing. She was the knife he'd gladly plunge into his heart.

Tears were weak, but those tears from her were not weak – she had been holding them back for him.

Just another act that she was doing for him.

Hiei didn't want her hiding anymore. He wasn't going to allow her to cry on the other side of that door. He wasn't going to let her run off to lick her wounds. He had enough of it. He had caused them, every tear and sob, and he would witness them while enduring the ache of her sorrow.

If this was the breakdown that boy mentioned, he had no further need to worry. Hiei was capable of extracting all that excess energy she had built up. He even made sure she didn't try to calmly brush it off by laughing and mocking her attacks – it was all he did. He deliberately pushed her until she was exhausted. That should have helped her shaking. She had done the same for him plenty of times. She hadn't fought him in any way. She never did when he lost control. She just let him take out his frustrations on her, but he wasn't going to do that anymore.

Hiei never backed down from a fight. Yet, this was different from all the battles he had ever fought. She was the toughest opponent he had ever had to face and to right things, regain her trust, and chase away that pained look in her eyes, he was going to have to change.

It wouldn't be easy. He was set in his ways. Demons needed to be dominant and in control. It was his true nature to exact control over his mate and as it was, he had toned it down enough. Any other demon would have had their human cowering into submission, but that was just it. There wasn't many demons that had human mates – and his actions toward her was the exact reason why. Lust was strong in a demon once they found their prey. It overrided nearly everything aside from the need to spill blood. There was little time for emotion.

But it was over.

She won.

He had to drop his sword at her feet and concede defeat. She recovered from every hit while he had to live with the constant reminder of what he had done to her – it ate at him. She stumbled from his malicious words while he regretted the poison that left his lips – it pierced him. And he struck her down at last, but seeing her fall was his own final blow. He couldn't do it anymore.

Hiei had never stood a chance.

Now there were a few things he was going to have to do today that he would have never done, not even to a demon that had a sword pressed against his neck...

Hearing her phone ringing from within her purse, he snatched it out and powered down her phone. He didn't want anyone bothering them and to ensure that no one did, he slipped her phone into his pocket to keep out of sight. Calmly, he made his way over to the bed to wake Karen up.

* * *

"They said Cain was spotted," announced Lena with bright eyes, as she strode into the room. "Is this true?"

Koenma turned around with a sincere expression. "I'm afraid we have no true way of knowing. It was merely a guess, but Takeo seems quite adamant that it was him and he was not alone."

She looked past Koenma's shoulder and eyed the screen behind him where a tanned demon with gray eyes was grinning. Nodding her head at Takeo, she greeted, "Takeo."

"Ah, the beautiful Lena," charmed Takeo with a wide grin. "You are such a divine picture compared to my companions. They are the very epitome of... disgust. They smell bad."

"Whoa there lad," protested a voice, speaking rather quickly and with an Irish accent. "I say you smell a right mess as well. Wilting flowers with your breath is what you be doing, you are."

"Jin's right, mate." A tall demon with a bluish mohawk wrapped a muscular arm around Takeo's shoulders and brought his head down into his armpit. "Now this is where your stench needs to focus. This is where masculinity comes from, junior. Inhale it! Don't be afraid!"

Takeo struggled for an entire two seconds before going limp within Chu's hold. Jin sidled into view with his arms crossed behind his head. Jin sniffed Chu and blanched. "I take me words back. Chu, you've been rolling in hay soaked in ale – a week's worth, it seems."

"Nah," Chu smirked and sniffed his other armpit. "This is Ogre Killer and for the record, just a day's worth, but no hay. That's some itchy stuff, mate. It's not great for doing some actual _rolling _in the hay either, if you know what I'm saying."

Koenma saw Lena's slightly furrowed eyebrows at the demons relaxed acts upon the screen. When they met each other's eyes, Koenma shrugged. "I've learned to allow these silly antics, as it makes everything go smoother. You have no idea how long it took to gain this sort of patience when dealing with these," he nodded at the screen, "types of individuals."

"Oh, lilies in a pond," gasped Chu when he saw Lena's calm expression. "Now, aren't you a goddess? I don't think I've introduced myself, but I'm Chu – your new man."

Clearing his throat, Koenma decided to get down to business. "I'd like for Lena, here, to listen to your description of Cain."

"Not really a description, we can give," explained Jin. "We was in a demon pub outside Murderer's Pass. We was there, maybe half an hour, I say, when this tall demon – "

"'Round near my height," interupted Chu seriously and he stepped back to allow Lena a look at his inpressive height.

"And he was all cloaked," Jin continued. "Yes, he be about Chu's build. We didn't pay him much mind. He wasn't giving off a great amount of energy, but most hide it, so it's hard to tell. He had a woman with him. She was a beauty and I was telling the guys, I says, 'I think I know that there, lass.' She be different than when I last saw her, but I can't recall where I met her. She had long, wavy black hair and brown eyes with legs that stretched like a waving prairie –"

"I told my boy, Jin, that it was probably just one of his women – "

"I know me women and she wasn't one of them," argued Jin with narrowed eyes. "But I knows I've seen her somewhere. It's her voice and eyes. She had a deep, husky voice, as a lass for seduction goes for, and it has a pull on it – almost _enchanting_. The things is, the hair don't seem right. It's not her natural color."

"But we waved her off," Chu waved his hand for emphasis. "We just mulled about until that demon man she was with spoke to the keeper. Takeo shot up and at that moment, the cloaked weirdo turns and looks at us. Before we know it, Takeo went zipping after him and that woman. We sent the village in a right panic with how we were all chasing after those two."

"And it was his voice," asked Lena.

Shrugging away from Chu, Takeo gave Lena a deadly look. "It was. I would know his voice anywhere. He vanished within fifteen minutes and he took the woman with him." Takeo's gaze dipped to the ground, as he thought over his words. "He never let go of her. He was almost possessive of her – like he was feeding off of her."

"A healer." Lena turned to Koenma. "Cain must have found a suitable healer, but his injuries were too great. Even with a healer, it will take much time for his true strength to return. She can only do so much. Has a team been sent after them?"

"Takeo sent in the location as best as he could, but the SDF sent will be days behind. This happened two days ago before Takeo was able to patch through to us."

"It'll be wasted time," Jin scratched at his ear. "We searched high and low. I took to the air, but this Cain guy just vanished. We couldn't even get a trace of his energy to track."

"We are abandoning our search for some time," explained Takeo seriously. "We'll continue looking for Cain until SDF have arrived to search the nothern forests. It's a big territory and past Murderer's Pass it is uncharted. I have no idea what lies beyond here."

"But your Cain guy isn't going by his name no more," slurred Chu. Lena and Koenma stared back calmly. Meeting their gaze, he said, "it's Lord now and he was meeting with several individuals at that pub. When we came back, that keeper said they scattered from the room like their asses were on fire. We were outnumbered, yeah, but they probably didn't want to be recognized."

"We were just sitting in the wolf's den," murmured Jin. "Right there and all for the takin'."

"If I hadn't of acted rashly, we may have been able to find out more," apologized Takeo. "It was my fault, but I assure you, that it was Cain."

Lena's eyes danced with some emotion, but whatever it was, she turned away and marched out of the room. Koenma's eyes followed her until the door closed. Sighing, Takeo slinked away from the screen and disappeared.

"You think she likes me," asked Chu in the sudden silence.

* * *

At the rough hand against my cheek, I peered up blearily. Hiei, showered and dressed, was sitting beside me and staring down at me. His black hair was gleaming slightly from his shower and gave him an air of masculinty along with the rolled up cuffs of his dark blue button up shirt. My eyes strayed down his body until they focused on his bare chest from the buttons that had yet to be slid into place. Self-consciously, I ducked my eyes.

Given how long I had slept throughout the night and morning, I was pretty sure my hair was piled up high like a beehive made of springy twigs. Shying away from his hand, I scooted away and sat up while nervously running a hand through my hair. Yeah, it was definitely a nest and I wouldn't be surprised if a bird fluttered from within my hair. My fingers couldn't even cut through an inch without meeting up with a tumbleweed. I didn't do a good job of detangling it from when I had first awakened.

"Ignoring me again," murmured Hiei when I refused to meet his gaze. We had been sitting for a solid five minutes without a word.

I fiddled with the strip of hair at my shoulder and he gave a disgruntled sigh. Dropping his hand, he turned away. Since his back was to me, I finally turned my head to stare at him.

Hiei voiced coldly, "we have a lot of talking to do today, Karen. This silence isn't a solution of any kind to our problems and I expect you to prepare yourself for this conversation." He finished buttoning up his shirt before heading toward the door, saying over his shoulder, "your clothes are in the bag. Get dressed. We're leaving."

I sighed as the door closed with a resounding click. Watching him walk away was a constant in my life. He could bring in astounding warmth and leave a world of ice in his wake.

Cowardly, I wanted to avoid this talk. I had a feeling it would be nothing but questions from him and me spluttering with answers. There was also a fear, very fleeting, of being alone with him. I trusted him. Yet, all the time we had been alone these days had ended up in nothing but sex and fights. Each time, I had gotten hurt with his words and wrath that left my head spinning. I was questioning how everything went spiraling out of control. Even last night, I was hurt. My pride shattered before the one person that meant the most to me. He had witnessed my downfall – a side of me that I thought had disappeared.

He hurt me. He really did. Did my heart break? No, but I think it fractured. There were no tiny breaks. It was just one long crack, right down the middle, or the edge, just somewhere that made my heart ache.

I have known him for so long. I lived alone with him for months. Things were more innocent then, but he had that respect. I imagine that respect had only been there because a part of him was still fighting against himself for how he viewed me. Or maybe, I was just too naive to notice anything. My weakness was that I cared too much. I couldn't help it. Seeing the good in people was just who I was and how I raised myself to be. I could still see him. I've always seen him as a person, as a man, instead of a demon.

But I was deaf to all of the warnings from my friends. I'm blind. They would view him, the person that I loved, as a nightmare. However, the result of him not in my life would be unbearable. I couldn't manage. I wouldn't be able to breathe. Sunlight would cease to be a part of my life anymore.

I thought I could do it – convince myself that he only lusted for my body, as I was available to him at all times. I accepted the fact that he could not love me. I fell for his eyes. I fell for his touch. I fell for his attention, any attention, that he gave me because I went so long just wishing he'd give me a second glance.

And I still love him.

And it still hurts.

And I've come full circle in my thoughts.

Sighing, I crawled out of bed and headed toward the armchair. I will not think about it anymore. Nope. What I should be focusing on is this nest on my head.

I dug around in the duffle bag and saw my clothes inside. The fact that my clothes, having shared space with his own, brought a heated blush to my cheeks. Clearing my throat, I grabbed everything and headed into the bathroom. Then, I came back out and gathered up various bottles upon the floor. I went back inside. Of course, leaving a mess bothered me. I spent the next few minutes tidying up. It didn't take long. The room wasn't as chaotic as I had imagined it would be, given my embarrassing actions last night (surprisingly, the door was still in tact – but I don't think it locked anymore). Hiei had even been gracious enough to collect up all the towels and hang my dress on the arm of the chair.

Even though Hiei had said to dress, I decided on a full shower. If he meant only to get dressed, then it was too bad. I wanted a shower. I had to spend an extra amount of time conditioning my hair. I wished the hotel provided more conditioner. I squeezed the bottle to death in order to get every last drop onto my hand. It still wasn't enough.

Wrapping the towel around me, I swiped a hand over the mirror to clear the steamed glass. I used the small blow dryer to dry my hair and combed through my hair with my fingers. I wish I had a comb, even just a stick with grooves in it. I would think the hotel might provide a comb, as they did have these halved toothbrushes. _It's just hair_, I grumbled. I actually needed a haircut. I should just chop it off until managing it becomes a breeze. Huffing, I gathered it up into a ponytail and plucked a hairband from my purse.

I shook out my clothes and was surprised that he thought to pack my underwear. I snapped my bra into place. I reached for my underwear –

"Grr, Hiei!" I hissed in annoyance.

Dental floss. He packed dental floss.

I glared at the silky teal thong with the buttons on the front, as if it was a shirt to be opened. Well, no one was opening things down here today. I was ready to fling the thong across the bathroom, but it was the only underwear I had with me. Squinting my eyes, I tried to picture my underwear drawer. Then, I remembered that I hadn't done laundry! _Damn, I keep forgetting!_

Setting my teeth, I inhaled deeply. Once I was done, I stepped into the thong and slid it into place. Awkwardly, I stood there with a frown. It... felt... like... a... wedgie. I can taste the silk.

Maybe its not fixed right. For the next few minutes, I shifted it around – this way and that – and in the end, I did find a comfortable fit. However, I started thinking about this talk. I couldn't talk to Hiei wearing this! He would know what I was wearing! And if we were doing any amount of walking, this was sure to be aggravating! I'm sure if I bent over, I'd have a whale-tail. It's going to slap people in the face!

But there needs to be some sort of barrier to my denim shorts and to Hiei. That's just what I needed. To make things easier for him if I were to strut around with no underwear. I'm tempted to do it just to avoid the wedgie I'm sure I would have throughout the day. Right now, it felt like I wasn't wearing anything, but –

_Suck it up, Karen_, I chided.

Annoyingly, I yanked on my shorts and yellow tank top. With a scowl, I made sure my underwear wasn't peeking out by pulling the hem of my top down enough to hide the band of my shorts. Satisfied, I threw all my bobby pins into my purse. Then, I glanced at all the toiletry items and small toothbrush. I shoved those into my purse, too. What woman leaves freebies behind?

Hiei was lounging in the armchair and staring out the window when I entered the room. I went about my business of packing things away and tying on my sneakers. At least he had packed me some shoes.

Without a word, Hiei took up the duffel bag and I glanced around the room one last time. He was at the door when I decided to snatch the floral printed notepad and pen on the nightstand. I gave a discreet look over at him and he was watching me with a raised eyebrow. It was free. I'm not leaving it. Lifting my chin, as if to defy him should he say to leave it, I stuffed them in my purse. It was getting heavy.

We stopped at a nearby restaurant for a late lunch. I nearly fainted when I smelled the food once we entered the restaurant and passed all the other customers. My metabolism was greater than before and I spent some unlady-like moments just shoveling food into my mouth in my need to eat. Jet and I ate like pigs after all my training at the temple and my appetites carried over when I left. I even had seconds, thirds, these days, which, for some reason, pleased Yusuke and Keiko.

I thought I heard Hiei chuckle when I dropped a vegetable from my chopsticks. Luckily, I caught the veggie before it could stain my clothes. Discreetly, I glanced up at Hiei to see if he noticed my clumsiness. His expression was neutral, but his lips were quirked at one end. Blushing, I stuffed the vegatable in my mouth. All throughout lunch, I was secretly basking in happiness at being with him in this restaurant. I was having lunch with him. The idea made me want to grin cheesily, but I didn't. I kept my cool. At least, I didn't smack into the entrance door this time.

Next, was the long drive to Hakone where we sat in silence. I peeked over several times at Hiei, but he remained leaning against the arm of his door and guiding the car easily with his wrist. I waited for him to head toward the house once we got into town, but he continued driving. I gave him a questioning glance.

"If you want to know, you're going to have to ask." He muttered casually.

I turned my head away.

We drove for over half an hour before he turned toward a parking lot near a huge, sparkling lake. I glanced at the passing sign and read 'Lake Ashinoko'. Were we sight seeing? My heart quivered in excitement. I've always wanted to take the ferry boats across Lake Ashinoko! We were going to go across the lake to view Mt. Fuji from it, but Yusuke had wanted to get closer and so we had headed toward the shrine at its base (probably why we got rained on, as we were in a change of elevation). The lake was a great ways from the Mt. Fuji, but gave a great view of the mountain when crossing it. And there was a small town across the lake! I had read about it one of my history books. Yes, I actually read my history books compared to what everyone else thought, which was, Karen hates history. History was okay. I just mixed up the dates.

Before jumping out of the car, Hiei stated, "you can leave that in here." He was eyeing my purse.

"What if someone steals it?" I asked. No, you can't just leave a purse in the car!

His eyes danced with some emotion at my words, but it was brief. In my excitement, I forgot about my damaged pride and embarrassment. I hadn't spend this much time with Hiei in ages and was enjoying the day in a haze of bliss. I couldn't help but think this was... a date – just one long date. I was trying not to show so much excitement, as it might be annoying. I hid it with silence and calm expressions, but Hiei didn't buy it (probably why he was smirking). Yet, containing my happiness was too hard. I was drinking in his time with me.

"Leave it." He insisted, as he opened his door.

Furrowing my brows, I opened my purse and searched for my phone. I could take pictures of the mountain. My door swung open on my side when I realized my cellular was missing.

"I have it."

Looking up at him, I frowned curiously. "Why?"

"No one's stealing your attention away from me today."

At his words, even if it was uttered in an obvious, detached tone, I felt my heart give a pleasant shudder. My fractured heart seemed a little less painful, as if the words were sooting ointment for the ache. To keep him from seeing how flustered I was at that comment, I hid my gaze and placed my purse into the glove compartment.

When he held his hand out, I hesitantly placed my hand within his to allow him to help me from out of the car. His crimson eyes were warm and calm; they were just simmering in the light of the day . Despite his rough palm, his touch was gentle. I was breathless when he laced his fingers with mine and led me to the bridge at the edge of the lake. In his other hand, he carried my old green bag. I wanted to ask about it, but decided against it.

While he was buying tickets for the ferry, I wheedled out a camera. Since he wouldn't let me have my phone, I wanted a camera. If we were lucky, the fog might not be too heavy around Mt. Fuji and would allow us a clear view of its impressive beauty. Hiei simply nodded at the old man when I requested the item and paid for it.

We didn't have to wait long for the ferry and there wasn't many people on board with us. I heard from a passing couple that today was good day for travel as everyone was in Kyoto for a festival. It was a good thing. Crowds made everything a hassle.

For the entire thirty minute ride, Hiei was rather affectionate with me. While I was snapping pictures left and right, he stood behind me and kept his arms around my waist. He never said anything. He just scratched lazily at my stomach and placed kisses against my temple. I was melting into a puddle. My entire being was starved for this sort of affection and drinking it up with gusto. It made me lightheaded. If he wasn't holding me, I might go slithering down to the floor in a real puddle of goo.

The mountain was hazy from this distance. It was late in the afternoon and the vapors were wrapped around the peak. Sighing, I focused on the lake and trees. I snapped several pictures of the wildlife. I took a few of the fish in the water as I leaned over the railings. There were ducks in the distance and some flying overhead. I saw a large turtle. As I was focusing on couple rowing along the lake, a small boy gave a loud gasp to point out that he could see Mt. Fuji now. His gasp made me jump and the camera fumbled from my hands. Luckily, Hiei reached around and caught my camera before it met its doom over the railings. I cleared my throat, took the camera back, and hurried to capture a good shot of the mountain.

When we reached the shore, I thought we would be heading into the little town called Moto-Hakone, but Hiei was leading me down a narrow road. After fifteen minutes of walking, he turned onto a narrow, dirt path that trailed up a hill. Before cresting the hill, he scanned around us. A second passed before he shouldered my bag. Turning to me, he lifted me up into his arms.

I didn't have time to question Hiei, as the world began blurring around me. I hadn't travelled this way in such a long time that my stomach clenched tightly at the sensations of hissing noise and fuzzy colors. Closing my eyes, I simply waited until he reached his destination. To me, it seemed like we had been travelling for some time. When he finally set me down, I had to focus on not falling. I was a tad dizzy.

We were higher up into this mountainous region of Hakone and in a wooded area. Through a gap in the trees, I glanced down at Moto-Hakone. It was nearly a bird's eye view of the town and I mindlessly snapped a picture. There was just the squawks of birds, buzzing of insects, and trees creaking. We were alone. There wasn't anyone for miles. I was aware of the sudden tension in the air.

Turning, I nearly gasped as he was standing right behind me. I stepped back to create some space. Despite my entire day with him, there was always someone nearby – even at the hotel. But out here, it was just us. I was uneasy at the outcome of this situation. None of the times had been good. No more fighting. _No more fighting_.

"I believe there are questions of mine that you never answered correctly." He calmly took a step towards me. I stepped away and dropped my camera. "I gave you your day to mull it over."

At that statement, my face almost crumbled. This was just a day to 'mull it over'? Glancing at the ground, I stared at the growing grass and patch of colorful wildflowers.

"I'll give you one more chance to answer my questions." Pulling me against him, he trapped me there by wrapping his arm around me. His other hand wrapped around my neck and his thumb pressed beneath my jaw to tilt my head all the way back until I was completely staring up at him. "Who were you talking to that day?"

I was going to tell him eventually. I wasn't strong enough to keep any secrets from him. It was like scalding myself with hot water, as guilt built up in my veins. "Jet," I mumbled.

"And why did you feel the need to hide his identity from me?"

It was one question, but there seemed to be many hiding within that sentence. Swallowing, I let my secret unfold in a soft voice. "He was checking in with me to see if I signed my documents... to be allowed to help with the temples..."

Surprisingly, Hiei let go of me and headed over to the bag he set down a few feet away. Crouching, he unzipped the bag. I paled at the sight before me. One by one, he pulled out each of my crossword books and set them on the ground. He even took the one from my purse. I had never noticed. My hip bag of dried herbs was set next to my books. Then, he took out my gun. I winced at the sight of my energy gun. He had a finger within the trigger hole, but like Jet, could not fit his finger all the way through. My energy gun looked like one of those cheap water guns from a twenty-five cent machine.

Staring at my gun, I couldn't help but say, "appearances can be deceiving."

He gave a snippet grunt and eyed me from the bottom up. Reaching my eyes, he responded lowly, "apparently."

I eyed my equiptment in shame. Hiei had found every last one. He stood to his full height and slipped in his hands into his pockets. "... how long?" I asked quietly.

"Since our _first _night together."

My face went up in flames as I recalled the exact night he was talking about and I placed my hands behind me. Nervously, I clapsed my left wrist with my right hand.

"How long did you think you could keep this from me, Karen," he asked with a soft, angry growl. "Did you think I wouldn't notice anything? I told you that I do not tolerate dishonesty. You agreed that you wouldn't go against my orders."

I winced at his last sentence, because I had promised him when he cradled me within his arms at the temple. My answer was only a 'yes', but it was a promise. I agreed.

_"I can handle Hiei, just… just trust me. I can do this. It's my choice. As a priestess, I deserve the utmost respect in my decisions. This is my choice."_

Hearing my demanded words to Genkai and Lena, I inhaled deeply before repeating my echoing thoughts, "this is my choice. You have no say in the matter – "

Hiei cursed harshly and stormed up to me. "Don't give me that, Karen," he spat angrily, as I stared up at him. "Every choice you make goes through me – "

Releasing my wrist, I clenched my fists. "Not this," I argued heatedly. "This has always been my choice, but you took it away from me! Whether you like it or not, I am a priestess. Being a priestess isn't a choice. I was born as one. I was always meant to be a priestess. If I hadn't have met you, I would still be a priestess. I have responsibilities, not just in this world, but in every world – "

"I told you that I was handling your responsibilities, Karen. You have no obligations!"

"Then stop it!" I stared up at the shadows beneath his eyes. "I told you last night that I didn't need you. I'm not going to be your burden." I ignored the way his jaw tensed with my every word or that he was now glaring to the side, as if to keep himself from lashing out at me. "I can carry my own weight. Despite what you think, I can take care of myself. I did it before I met the others. I did it before I met you. So I can do so again. I don't always do it well, but I've managed!"

"Like with your running?" He whipped his head back around and leaned down. "Yes, I imagine that's the extent of your managing. You run when everything becomes too much – that's not managing, Karen. You just leave and let your problems chase you. What's to say you won't run when this priestess business becomes too much?"

I bristled with anger at his lecture on running. Instead of answering, I yelled, "your _obligations _to this connection are done –"

"Again with the connection," he pierced me with a dark glare. "The connection has nothing to do with my actions. I told you long ago that I can withstand the agony of the connection." A frown worked its way onto my face, as I didn't quite understand. "I know exactly what you think of me. You think I'm doing all this work, all the damn meetings, because of the connection? Do you believe I just _settled _because one day you may get hurt and it would affect me in turn? Is that what you think I'm doing? That I've just been wasting my time saving you to watch my own neck?"

It was then that I realized he had somehow heard my conversation with Kenji. My eyes flew to his forehead and I accused him. "You used that! That was all supposed to be private – "

He scoffed rudely. "We're long past such things as 'privacy'. As for settling," Hiei gave me a look of disgust, "why would I have ever settled for a human? Why tie myself to this world when I've always regarded your kind as insufferable weaklings?"

My eyes burned and I whirled away. "Then go ahead and leave!"

Hiei wrapped an hand around my arm and whirled me around to face him. "Your running days are over! Don't you ever run away from me again, Karen," he warned with a menacing message in his eyes. "I'm never letting you go. If you run, if you even think of leaving me, I will hunt you down and you will never see the outside world again. No matter where you go, I can find you." Even if the warning was uttered in a deadly whisper, I wasn't trembling in fear. My heart was pounding painfully. "You are a constant aggravation for me. You drive me insane. You've been the death of me since I've met you."

I winced at every word.

"Everything I've done has been to keep your foolish self safe." He shook me once when I lowered my eyes. "_Look at me_!" Growling, he jerked my chin up. "I took away your decision for the temples to keep you from having to go through that ordeal again! You're entirely too weak. If you think that plastic thing you call a gun is going to save you against a demon, it won't. Do you realize that you were nearly killed that night? If it wasn't for those bullets that sent that bastard flying, you wouldn't be fucking up my life with these constant meetings and tasks!"

I lowered my eyes. "I told you – "

"_Shut up_," he hissed venemously. "Goddammit, Karen, don't you get it yet that I'm trying to take care of you?"

My eyes flew up to his face. His words were voiced roughly and with venom, but his eyes were soft, as they had been when I finally spoke to him today. "Y-you... want to take care of me?"

Hiei didn't answer my question directly, but he released my arm. "You're mine. So if you think that your choices and responsibilites are yours alone, they're not." Very gently, he reached up and brushed the back of his hand against my right cheek. "I don't want some pretty demon woman. You've never disappointed me and I assure you that you are not a burden." I stared up into eyes, as he repeated my words from last night. I was speechless. "I want you. I've wanted you for a long time. Why do you think I can't stop touching you?"

My mind dragged up images of his words from that hateful night and I bowed my head in shame and pain. "No, I can't... do that right. What you did..." I tried to clamp my teeth over the words, but they trickled out in a whisper. "You hurt me."

And what happened next almost made me want to hurl myself down the hill to ensure myself that this wasn't a dream. He knelt down on one knee and cupped the back of my knee possesively. I didn't know what to do but stare down at him with wide eyes.

"I apologize for my behavior this past week."

For some reason, I mumbled, "get up."

Stubbornly, he kept a firm hold on my leg and kept his eyes trained on my face. "It was never my intention to hurt you in that way –"

Tearing my eyes away, I demanded softly. "Get up, Hiei. I already forgave you."

"Look at me, Karen," his voice echoed with authority. My eyes flew back to him. "I've hurt you. Every inch of skin you're revealing was covered in a bruised at one time and by my hands – "

"I bruise easily – "

"Stop interrupting me." Hiei's hand tightened a tad and his eyes flashed. "I have hurt you or did you forget how I nearly broke your arm, Karen? You could hardly move your arm for days. My hand prints have covered your arms, sides, wrists, and neck more times than I can remember."

Feeling my eyes burn, I pressed the back of my arm against my eyes and inhaled shakily. I didn't trust myself to look at him anymore. He was apologizing to me. For the first time, he was apologizing to me. I almost didn't want to hear his words, as his voice brought up the memories of our past.

"You're the only one I've lost control with and I knew better than to hurt you. I took out my frustrations on you. I took advantage of you," he rubbed the length of my thigh in a soothing manner, "but you have my word that I will _never _hurt you again, Karen."

It was silent for a few seconds until I heard him standing. Gently, he pried away my arm and cupped my cheeks. Tilting my face up, he leaned down. A long moment passed where we simply stared at one another, as if we were seeing each other for the first time. And maybe we were, because we had never just talked or stared into each other's eyes since his arrival. Everything had just been fleeting glances and vile words.

"Do you hate me?"

A small, simple question from a long time ago that he had asked because he wanted me to hate him. This time, there was no mocking tone or wicked amusement flickering within his eyes, only _feared _curiosity.

_"If I could ever hate you, it would be because you would chase me away like this – by showing a side of you that you think I would not accept. I accepted you a long time ago." _

My words...

There wasn't a side to him that I could ever hate. He was such a beautiful creature that had captured me with his entire existence and to have him with me should be a crime. And my relationship with him will always be full of risks for my heart, but I'm still breathing on his embers.

"No," I answered honestly.

Truthfully, I had forgiven him that first night. I was too deep in love to ever hate him and to prove my words, I wrapped my arms around his waist. I stared up at him and drank in the sight of him. Avoiding him had been brutal on me and I felt my chest lightened. All the stress left my body. My chains disappeared. I was almost exhausted at being able to breathe properly again. My secretive ways were over and done with, and I was free from that mess.

"I miss you," he suddenly voiced in low whisper. I almost wasn't sure I heard him, but his eyes were glittering.

He was repeating my words where instead of saying 'goodnight', I said 'I miss you', because I did. I was missing the days we went walking in Shirakawa-go where I talked about everything and he listened with closed eyes. I was missing his lazy kisses under the sun. I was missing his sour mood whenever he had to fix something I accidently broke. I was just missing him.

Those words, everything he said, and all of his actions caused my heart to shatter and rebuild all at once. My entire being was drinking in this moment and weeping silently at that light I had been chasing for so long. Every hit I took was worth it. All of my bruises were worth it. The pain of being pushed away and yelled at was worth it... all for this small ray of light that had broke through a world of ice.

_Please tell me I've suffered enough now to keep you with me_, I pleaded silently at this side of him – a side of him he kept forcing away before I could wrapped my hands around it.

I wondered how long this light would continue to shine. Would this warmth fade and leave me freezing in my sorrows?

It may.

It may not.

For now, I would bask in this warmth for as long as I could because it was all I could do.

Standing on tiptoe, I shyly pressed my lips against his in an innocent kiss, as our eyes remained locked. When I pulled away, I expected him to crush me against him, but he was just waiting. He was allowing me to choose whether or not how the kiss should go, as I hadn't kissed him in days.

At his heated gaze, I leaned up and pressed my mouth against his again. Unsure of how to proceed, as he always took control, I timidly traced his bottom lip with my tongue and he parted his lips with a heavy sigh. Needing to be closer, higher up, I stepped onto his shoes and brushed away his hands to wrap my arms around his neck. Strong arms wrapped around me, as I buried a hand in his hair.

It was like my first kiss to him and I proceeded to show him everything he had taught me, but with my own softer personality. I slowly grazed his his teeth and then the upper roof of his mouth in a teasing manner. When he finally gave a low groan, I gently met his tongue in tender caresses. The pace of the kiss seemed to match the beats of my thudding heart, as we continued to kiss in the dying sun. A fiery ache began pooling in my stomach...

Then, my eyes snapped open.

"Wait," I pulled away with a pant. "What about my temple work?"

"We'll discuss that later."

Grimacing, I turned my head to avoid his kiss. "I want to try."

"Later."

"I can do it."

"_Karen_."

And he captured my lips before I could argue with him.

* * *

"Carry on as planned." Cain instructed from against the wall with Ruka at his side. He was completely shrouded in a hooded cloak as he stared around the murky cave and met the gleaming eyes of several demons. "Follow any groups with human women in them. If they head to any of the rumored temples, then be assured they are most likely our women. Get spotted, then act the bandits that you are and attack. However, do not kill the women. Any other false groups are yours to do as you please."

"Any treasure is ours, should we decide to attack these groups, correct," rasped a tall, thick set demon with wild hair that resembled a lion's mane. "And these temples, can we raid them?"

"Take your treasure," Cain smirked, "but you're not quite knowledgeable enough yet to navigate the temples."

It was true. Rumors were spreading throughout Demon World of the temples and many were avoiding the structures, believing them to be cursed.

"Well, then," another demon croaked. He gave Cain a sly grin. "The human women that we capture, can we fuck 'em? They're much cleaner and smaller than these filthy demonesses around us."

They was a murmur of agreement around the room.

Cain gave a cold smile. "Now, now, do not be so malicious. Work first. Play later. Do not get carried away by lust. Any women that are not what we seek, then as I've said, do with as you please. For our women, well, breaking them for their soul is necessary, but hold off until you've alerted me."

A pudgy demon raised his hand and slouched forward with a bland expression. "We follow human women groups. If caught, we raid them. If they are the women we seek, we capture them. Uh, but how do we know what women to capture, my Lord?"

"I'm about to show you," Cain voiced silkily, as his eyes turned bright red. "I'll show you the value of these women, but you must all dedicate yourselves to me." He smirked when he had captured the entire room and the multitude of eyes went blank. "Demons will rise. You are all too young to remember the glory of what we once were, but I can show you of what I once tasted. I can give you power- and these women, they'll give you your strength."

"Yes, my Lord," chorused the group of bandit leaders.

"Ruka," Cain glanced over at the leggy demon woman. "Fetch my men."

Bowing her head, Ruka turned and disappeared into the depths of the cave. Cain turned back to his new followers and smirked. Such power driven minds were weak. His plans were different this time around and rather than act alone, take all that power for himself, he would spread it out until he could collect it when he tired of his men.

_Mismatched_ eyes danced before his vision, but Cain brushed off the nostalgia of his youth. He fed his new men the information they needed and smirked.

* * *

A/N: Thank you, **akasoeki**, for beta reading!

I have a deviant art page. Check it out. Link in profile.


	42. A Handful of Fireflies

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I also do not own any game characters or lyrics that I may also put in here. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Two: A Handful of Fireflies

* * *

"Hey man," greeted Yusuke with a bark of laughter as he slapped Kurama on the shoulder. Yusuke eyed Kurama's red hair, which was longer now and held back in a low ponytail. His bangs were framing his face in an almost primitive way. "Man, Kurama, you're looking wild. It's kind of bad-ass, like when I went all rocker that one time. All you need now are several tattoos and maybe you can get your ear pierced with one of those fanged earrings." Leering at Kurama, Yusuke lowered his voice, "if I were you, I'd get cleaned up before a herd of women come chasing after you, but hey, I think you like it when they chase you."

Reaching up, Kurama flicked his bangs out of his eyes. "You're going to give me nightmares," he joked at the comment concerning women. "And here I was planning to hibernate." He gave another shake of his head to flick his bangs away from his eyes, as he fell into step with the shorter man. "Despite sleeping on the ground – which went through several conditions, ranging from wet to hard – and eating Goroji jerky meat and bland herbal stews, you look more exhausted than myself."

Yusuke shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Try sitting through meetings all day. My ass is getting flat. My neck hurts. You know me, Kurama, I've never liked meetings. I'd rather pick up dog shit all day than sit here, but hell," he gave a flippant shrug, "duty calls."

Kurama peered over at Yusuke discreetly. The black haired man had a haggard look to his face and crinkles around his eyes, as if he were plagued with unwanted thoughts. Kurama had a feeling that there may be more stressing Yusuke than meetings and taking a sudden responsibility for his lands. Hokushin was running things, but since everything that had happened, Kurama knew that Yusuke was doing his best to help Hokushin with the sudden tasks of keeping the priestesses safe while on his lands. Not only that, but Kurama heard that he was being plagued by several powerful bandit groups. It was no secret that Yusuke was trying to provide a safer haven for the humans that resided in Demon World, as he felt a need to do so for Raizen.

"How are things at home," asked Kurama smoothly.

Yusuke's eyes darkened, briefly, but then he managed to give Kurama a look of annoyance. "Same as always."

Kurama's eyes glittered curiously at the short, snippet reply, but he didn't bother making an inquiry as to his bland answer. He didn't even question Yusuke when the detective followed him to check in at the SDF office. He suspected that Yusuke wanted something more exciting to occupy his interests to take his mind off the meetings and whatever was bothering him at home.

"You up for dinner sometime this week?" asked Yusuke while Kurama signed a few papers.

Kurama flashed a polite smile, but couldn't help saying, "and like always, my friends think I don't eat proper meals." At Yusuke's snort, Kurama stood up and handed the guard his paperwork. "Yes, dinner sounds fine."

"Be warned. Karen's been cooking up these Western foods, but it's not bad."

"After eating Goroji meat for months on end, you're worried I won't like Western food?"

Yusuke scrunched his face. "Okay, yeah, sorry. Next time, pick a region that isn't overwhelmed with Goroji. Now, wild chicken is delicious."

Kurama closed his eyes and listened to Yusuke's opinion on the wildlife of Demon World.

* * *

One would think when someone says 'we'll talk later' would imply that we would talk as soon as possible, considering that it was a rather important subject. I thought so anyways.

Okay, so two days of avoiding my priestess talk wasn't anything to fuss over. However, I wasn't going to drop the subject. I'll allow Hiei some time, but not a lot. Only a smidgeon.

Hiei had arrived home at nine in the evening for the past two days and, ecstatic that he was home well before midnight, I didn't bother pushing the subject. However, there wasn't much for me to do throughout the day because Hiei had hidden my equipment. Hiei had said he didn't want me spending unnecessary time on my toys until he was calm enough to talk about the subject. Also, Yusuke's presence throughout the last couple of days kept me from exercising because he didn't know about my plans. Hiei had demanded that I refrain from telling Yusuke yet, as we hadn't discussed the issue.

Hiei wasn't happy at all about my decision to help with the temples...

I did try searching for my equipment in his room. However, I was unlucky, even though his room was tidy, as if he never lived in there, but that was to be expected. He never went in there these days. I never questioned why it was always my room he chose to sleep in every night. Even now, some of his clothes were hanging up in my closet and bunched up in my drawers (but I folded them to keep them from being destroyed by wrinkles) because making the extra trip to his room in the mornings annoyed him.

I'm not sure if Yusuke or Keiko knew that Hiei spent his time in my room every night. I don't think they did, as they hardly noticed much of anything these days. I doubt they would even notice if I lit some wood on fire and began dancing around the flames. However, to my surprise, Yusuke and Keiko did notice that I never came back home after helping the Yukimuras. And they hadn't been too happy.

We got in late that night, so I was able to avoid seeing them. Then, the next morning when I had crept into the kitchen a few hours after Hiei left, Yusuke had been sitting at the table reading his paper. Usually, I didn't bother him. As far as I could tell, people liked to read the newspaper in peace, save for Kenji and I.

-Flashback-

"You know, we got you that phone for a reason," Yusuke uttered quietly from behind his paper.

I stiffened and lowered my glass of juice down, "hm?"

"You heard me." He snapped. Sighing, I lifted my juice. I was prepared to chug it down, as Yusuke must have argued with Keiko earlier and was now taking it out on me. "You didn't come home. Where the hell were you at?"

"I was with Hiei."

"Oh, really," he replied simply before snapping his paper to ward off the wrinkles, "but, that's no excuse, considering you have things to do here. You didn't clean the bathrooms like I told you to or take out the trash. You didn't check in with us." His eyes hardened into an angry glare and a vein appeared at his left temple. "Under this roof, you will do your chores, respect the curfew and you better not be doing anything, I repeat, anything, while you are here!"

-End of Flashback-

A weary sighed left my lips at the memory of his wrath. I forgot about my chores, but I more than made up for it by tidying up the entire house. I even washed the car! I didn't have a curfew. Kenji and I went to plenty of late night movies to which Yusuke never complained when I arrived home after midnight. And about not doing anything... well, that was too late. At least I knew they hadn't heard us that one night, but Hiei had kept a firm hold on the head board to keep it from hitting the wall. Remembering that night, I blushed heatedly.

We didn't even do anything at the hotel besides fight and sleep. We haven't done anything for the last couple of days except kiss. There was little talking. He'd ask a question about what I did during the day. Even though my days were boring, I answered. He'd listen quietly until I would try to sneak in the topic about the temples. He'd remind me that unless I was prepared for him to incinerate my toys, I'd drop the subject immediately. I would wrinkle my nose and tell him they were not toys, but highly dangerous weapons. He would grunt in mockery at my words. Then, we would sleep because I'd be annoyed at his dismissal to my attempt at approaching my job as a priestess. That was it.

So, Yusuke wasn't happy about us. He was just taking out his frustrations on me, because Keiko was the clear winner in all of their arguments. He allowed her to win to keep from stressing her too much in her delicate state, but I didn't think it was helping. Once again, his nerves were being worked up about the baby and he was unconsciously tapping in to his future parental side by scolding me. Some days, I felt like huffing and dragging my feet whenever he would remind me of responsibilities. But, because I knew he needed to relieve some of his frustrations, I allowed the authority.

Keiko didn't approach me about my night out with Hiei, but she did give me 'the look'. She lifted one trimmed brow. That's it. She was either upset or disappointed, but she didn't have time to scold me as she worked yesterday and wasn't feeling good. Hearing the kitchen door slide open, I paused in drying a plate.

But it looked like she was going to talk to me today.

I sighed.

Trying to suck up to her, I asked sweetly, "do you want some tea? I made some cold pasta salad, too, for dinner. It's ready if you want to try it out."

Smiling, Keiko seated herself at the table. "Just the tea for now, please."

I nodded and reached for the tea kettle. Filling it up, I tried to appear busy. She was unusually quiet. Silently, I began counting down in my head and when I reached one, she began speaking.

"Karen, are you using protection?"

I spluttered. Caught off guard by the blunt question, I nearly dropped the kettle. Wow, she doesn't mess around, I thought bashfully. Keiko just went straight to the point and didn't even bother with any small talk. She wasn't even going to lecture me on the fact that I was going to have sex with Hiei (oops, I already did that). Keiko was adamant in lecturing me on protection.

Hurriedly, I set the kettle on the stove. While I turned on the flame, my mind was racing. I completely forgot about my birth control during all the arguments. My mouth went dry. Oh no, I thought with horror. Oh no, no, no! I glanced down at my stomach. The past week went rushing before my eyes. I remembered drinking that champagne. Oh my god!

"Karen?"

I almost jumped again at her voice. Without looking at her, I went back to drying the dishes. I knew she was only asking because of that night I spent with Hiei in Tokyo. As calm as I could manage, I said, "we didn't do anything, Keiko. If you want the truth, we've been fighting. All we did was... talk." Sort of, I added silently.

It was an honest answer and Keiko seemed to understand. She must know that I was struggling to get used to Hiei being away so much these days.

"I know." I didn't ask how she knew we were having problems. "Is that why you've been staying away from the house the past few days?"

Finished with the dishes, I wiped at the counters. "Yes, but everything is fine now."

"Still, I don't know if you've done so or not, but you need to start taking birth control." Before I could answer, she was settling into one of her lectures. I turned around and fiddled with the dish towel. "Karen, you're only eighteen. I'm not ignorant to what goes on between a couple when they're alone." I opened my mouth, but she held up a hand. "I believed you earlier, but you'll be living with him soon." I opened my mouth again. "Yes, yes, I know you've lived with him before, but take precautions with your relationship."

Out of nowhere, she set a schedule on the table and pointed to the seat next to her. She had this determined light in her eyes and I knew not to disobey. Slightly stunned, I sat down in the chair and stared down at her notebook. She began flipping through the calender section with blinding speed.

While she was searching, I glanced down at my stomach.

What if I was pregnant? He was a demon. Did they have super mega sperm that sped along the pregnancy process? Maybe I was lucky! Maybe the two times we had sex were duds! Sometimes, women get pregnant on the first try. Sometimes, women struggle with it. Sometimes, women are unlucky as hell and I'm going to be one of them! I'm not lucky at all!

"Let's see. You've never seen a gynecologist before, have you?"

I shook my head.

"My doctor is excellent! I'm going to set you up an appointment. It'll just be a check up and handfuls of questions. The birth control –"

"I'm on it," I answered quietly. "They offered it at the temple."

Keiko gave a firm nod, as if to proudly acknowledge my choice. I was still staring at my stomach, but now, with a growing trepidation.

How long does it take to get pregnant? How early can you find out? Discreetly, I eyed my fingers to count up the days. Let's see... the first time happened eleven days ago. The second time happened seven days ago. My eyes narrowed. Which one was it? Which act knocked me up?

"And when is your period?"

"The end of the month," I replied.

My period wouldn't be here for two more weeks. Would I even get a period? My eyes flew back to my stomach. No, I can't be pregnant. I'd feel weird. I'd feel something. There's nothing in there but guts and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I just have a sandwich in my stomach. There is no bun. Buns are not allowed inside here. No sir, please move along and take your bun with you.

The tea kettle began screaming and I ran over to the stove. My stomach brushed against the knob and accidentally twisted it. The flame roared to life beneath the kettle.

No! It's starting! I've gained weight! My stomach is already expanding and rolling over the band of my shorts! I'm too young for this! I can't even hike a mile through the forest without falling flat on my face. How was I going to carry a baby? And I had champagne! I've poisoned the baby! I'm already an unsuitable mother! What have I done!

My eyes widened in horror at the memory of that picture in the pregnancy book Jet had sent me. I was reminded of the woman squatting while holding onto a low hanging branch while several women surrounded her, as if they were chanting some ancient ritual. I remembered seeing that picture of a head peeking out and how I turned the book in disbelief. The way that area down there was all stretched...

Holy hell!

I thought I saw my shirt flutter, as if to emphasize a kick. I made an odd noise in my throat and turned off the flame. Whirling around, I ran from the kitchen and up to my room.

"Should I take the buns from the oven, now?" yelled Keiko after me.

I knew she meant the dessert buns I was baking, but given my panicked mind, I yelled, "NO!"

* * *

Before I could work myself into a frenzy (or an even greater one), I managed to stifle my fears, somewhat, with deep breaths and meditation. It worked about as much as Midol when on my period, which was, it didn't do squat. So, I decided to take a bubble bath. I soaked for an hour, but eventually the sight of the water level (was it higher than usual?) was bothering me. Then, I started on the main course for dinner to keep myself busy.

Hiei coming home earlier than usual should have made me strangely nervous, but a majority of my fears died down. I thought I'd be all a jitter at the sight of him, but maybe my tactics throughout the day were finally working.

This subject needed to be approached. I was just going to have to talk to Hiei. Keeping anything from him nearly tore my mind apart and I wasn't going to go through all that again. I was just getting myself worked up with silly ideas concerning buns in the oven. Normally, I would have sought comfort in a female friend, most likely Keiko, but this was our problem. If there was a problem, that is.

_'So if you think that your choices and __responsibilities__ are yours alone, they're not.'_

I furrowed my brows at Hiei's words from a couple of nights ago. If we were going to have a life together, I needed to be more open with him. With his words, everything he had said that night, he had assured me that he wanted to be with me and that my complete trust was to be placed with him. Although I trusted him, there was a small gap along that bridge of fate. I was trying to convince myself, or rather, that little, tiny crevice in my mind, that I now had someone special in my life, and going through life on my own was no longer an option.

Even though I wasn't all that nervous, I couldn't help but avoid his eyes. I was trying to work out the conversation in my head, but I realized that I wanted to be alone with him – completely alone. I've been stuck in the house for nearly three days and maybe that was to blame for my overworked imagination. All I did was sleep, eat, and clean. If my stomach was rolling over the band of my shorts, it was because I kept munching on food every time I started cooking.

When dinner was over, I got compliments on the roasted chicken glazed with dijon mustard, seasoned rice, and pasta salad. The cookbook Kenji let me borrow had a multitude of Western food recipes and since I had few recipes from Mei, I decided to change up the meals. Also, Keiko was limited on her fish consumption, and Mei's family must have loved fish because most of her recipes called for it. Unsure of what to do, I took to introducing them slowly to my homeland's foods. I rarely cooked at the orphanage (except for my mean grilled cheese sandwiches), but I was becoming quite accomplished at cooking.

Keiko decided to clean up the kitchen. Free from my nightly duties, I went to my room. Hiei was taking a shower and I amused myself with fiddling around on the computer. When he entered my room, I turned in my seat and crossed my arms atop the back of my chair. I watched him scrub at the back of his hair with a towel.

I glanced at my alarm clock. It wasn't even six-thirty. The night was still young and we couldn't stay locked up in my room. Yusuke and Keiko were downstairs and given their attitudes to my night in Tokyo with Hiei, they would find it suspicious should they check in on me. I guess Yusuke didn't notice Hiei's energy in my room or maybe Hiei hid his energy. I don't know.

I stared at Hiei's face. He had the shadows under his eyes, but his eyes weren't as bloodshot as a couple of days ago. Normally, I would leave him alone, but there was an issue at hand. Although I wanted to go somewhere faraway from the house, I decided that a walk would be fine.

"Hiei?"

"If this is about your toys, you can stop right there."

"They're not toys," I defended with a wrinkle of my nose. Sighing, I shook away the annoyance. Timidly, I asked, "can we... go for a walk?"

Without looking at me, he tossed his towel into the hamper in the corner of my room and headed for the dresser. "What are you hiding now?"

I winced. Okay, so he had a gap in his bridge, too. Sitting up straighter, I said, "I'm not hiding anything. It's a pregnancy issue." There! I almost smiled at how mature sounding my words were voiced. I didn't even stutter.

He paused for a split second, but then calmly resumed slipping a shirt over his head. "I don't see an issue of any kind."

"What if I'm pregnant," I blurted out in a quiet voice.

He shrugged and turned away.

At that careless shrug, I stood up and marched across my room. Without a word, I collected my sneakers at the door and went downstairs.

Fine, if it wasn't such a big issue then I'll just handle it on my own. I'll get a test. I'll go to the doctor. I'll figure it out without him, that jerk.

I left out the backdoor and was halfway down the hill to the pond when Hiei blurred in front of me. I gave a slight start, but made to step around him. He gave a dark chuckle before pulling me against his chest. My cheeks were burning when I felt his hands on my bottom, as he pulled me more firmly against his body.

"I thought I told you not to run from me."

Crossing my arms, I muttered, "I'm not running." My words came out a little tense. Running was a sore topic for me. "I'm walking at a face pace with the intention of going for a well-needed walk."

"Which is simply a prelude to running," he responded firmly to my answer.

Now my past was becoming an issue and I shrugged away from him. Slipping my hands in the back pockets of my shorts, I continued down the hill. "I'm going for a walk –"

"Alone?" I heard him fall into step behind me. I didn't expect his voice to be so close, as he murmured near my head, "or do you just like having me chase you?"

Ignoring the shiver down my spine, I focused on heading toward the pond. "You wouldn't be able to catch me if you were normal."

"By your standards, I must seem very abnormal, indeed."

Hearing his dry response, I whirled around and gasped, "I'm sorry!" What I said, sounded discriminating, even if I had only been referring to his ability to blur around while I moved like a sloth.

Hiei scoffed and leaned down for a quick kiss. "Don't _ever _apologize to me." His words were stressed coldly in firm demand. I was somewhat confused by his sharp, reprimanding tone, but he didn't elaborate further. Instead, he asked, "why did you run from me?"

And I knew eventually he would ask this question. I never shared my reasons for running, not even to the psychiatrist that was provided for us at the orphanage – or rather, the psychiatrist set up for troubled kids. My reasons weren't a big deal. I was just embarrassed at my actions. I was humiliated, as it was an immature act that I thought I had left behind me.

Turning back around, I continued walking to hide my pink cheeks. The hotel incident flashed before my eyes and the way I had thrown all the pillows at him. A moonlight beam landed on me as I neared the pond. When the white tip of my Converse flashed up at me, I thought of the high heel shoe I threw at him. I felt my face fall. I shouldn't have thrown that. What if I had hit his eye?!

In a bored tone, he said, "I don't know why you're embarrassed." Could he really read me that easily? "You've witnessed my low moments and have been on the receiving end plenty of times."

He was reminding me of all the times he had hurt me and this past week, but still, I had acted rather childish. I hadn't acted that angry with him since we arrived in Hakone for the first time. I threw my first pillow at him and screamed at him that day. Of course, he retaliated with a few choice words, too. He was the only one that ever got under my skin. I never allowed my temper to unfold or hurl insults, except with him. Hiei always seemed to bring out the worse in me.

"I didn't ask the question to humiliate you." He continued once we reached the pond. "Your moments are not something I would hassle you with, but your reason for running is something that you will explain."

Walking up to the edge of the pond, I peered into the darkened water. Hiei was right. He hadn't mentioned the hotel incident or made any remark to my actions that night. He didn't say one word about it.

Clasping my left wrist with my right hand behind my back, I toed the water. The moonlight was shining upon the surface and illuminating the lily pads. I searched mindlessly for a frog, but my eyes strayed to the handful of fireflies around us.

"Do you need me to repeat the question, because it seems you've forgotten it."

I don't know what it was, but Hiei was always pushing me into answering his questions over the past couple of days. Well, he had always pushed me. I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. He would not allow me to be timid with my answers. I couldn't skirt around any private issues anymore.

"I... well," I searched my mind and that night had me repeating my silent reasons for running away, "when I'm overwhelmed, when everything becomes too much... I run." I thought I sounded kind of stupid explaining, but I continued quietly to get it all out on the table. "If I'm not wanted, I run, or I used to anyways."

If I was going to tell anyone about my past, it will probably only be Hiei. I never told Kenji or Keiko. Everyone knew I was orphan. Koenma had explained that to Keiko and Yusuke, but he kept from giving them all the details. They trusted me with open arms and I respected them, but I think it was time to let someone know more about me.

"I never knew my parents. I was given up at birth, and whoever delivered me gave me my name – oh, well, except for my middle name. I guess they couldn't think of one." I almost felt like cringing at how awkward I sounded while giving my story. "I was really sick and small for a child, so most parents didn't want me. Really, your best bet for a family is when you're in your cute years, but I missed out. I didn't mind. I just... I was always happy that at least some of us were getting a family. I had high hopes that one day I would get a chance and that was enough for me."

Taking a deep breath, I pushed a tiny rock into the pond with my shoe. It made a few ripples and I watched them for a moment before closing my eyes.

"I got better as I got older. When I was ten, I finally went to a foster home. The couple had four other kids and they were all really nice. The house was outside of the city and part of this ranch." I opened my eyes. "For the first time, I had access to all these trees... and the horses... all that open space. It was so different from the city. All we had at the orphanage was this one tree and Maria wouldn't let me go out to the city park on my own yet, but that ranch was beautiful. I was there for a few months. Everything seemed to be going well until winter came and I got sick again. I tried to hide it. I was afraid they wouldn't want me anymore if I was sick, but they heard the coughs. It was just a little cold."

At the memory, I walked over to another rock and kicked that into the water. "I overheard Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy talking one day. They were having some trouble with all of us and made a decision to send one of us away. They didn't have to think about it long. When I heard my name, how they said I was just too much trouble, I –"I brought my hands around and fiddle with the hem of my shirt. "I don't know... I packed my stuff and ran back to the orphanage, or as far as I could before a squad car came after me. I shouldn't have done that. Mrs. Beecham, my case worker, she was so mad." I grimaced. "She went on and on about it because, since the police were involved, she had to report it on my files. I was labeled a runner... just for that one time. From then on, when the next few foster homes sent me back for the same reasons, because I was a burden or something, I would just run back to the orphanage – or when Mrs. Beecham would make her monthly visits where she always harped on me, I would run."

Sighing, I began walking around the pond. I thought of Mrs. Beecham and frowned. She was a mean woman. I don't think she really tried with me. She just didn't like me for some reason.

"But I don't even run away properly," I furrowed my brows, as I never did anything right. "I just wanted to get away for a while. If I ran from the orphanage, I went to the city park, but only for a few hours. I always came back. What kind of runner does that?" I was speaking more quickly in my sudden agitation. "She didn't have any right to bother me. It's not like I got involved with stealing things, unlike some of the others." I toed at a patch of grass to dig an annoyed hole. "I was stupid and weird, which is odd considering my files. Being labeled a runner makes me sound dangerous, but one look at me, and you just know I'll –"

"Trip," came a voice from behind me.

"Oh," I turned around and met Hiei's darkened eyes. I almost forgot he was with me. I got carried away with my past. Blushing, I cleared my throat, "yeah, trip."

Now... it was awkward for me. I hadn't talk this much to Hiei in ages. I forgot how much I used to babble when I was around him. Ducking my eyes, I was unsure of how to act now that my weird past was shared with him. The moment seemed intimate because not only was he my first in everything, knew all of my faults, and witness my most embarrassing moments (except when I egg-rolled down Genkai's temple's stairs, as no one knew about that, but me!), but now he knew about my cowardly antics when faced with the harshness of reality.

To be so involved with someone, him, was very frightening, yet also... comforting, like I didn't have to hide anything or be perfect.

'_Be perfect and you'll find a home_.'

I slapped away Mrs. Beecham's words. If they, Yusuke and Keiko, had wanted someone perfect, I would have been kicked out the door a long time ago. There were too many times that I did something to aggravate one of them. I knocked down one of the pictures when I ran into Keiko's beloved living room shelf and she towered over me while I sheepishly swept up all the glass. I locked the door every time I came inside, which bothered Yusuke (okay, I did that on purpose). They were always annoyed if I didn't eat extra helpings during our meals. Also, I didn't even make the correct mark on my entrance exams into Hakone High School.

With Hiei, my imperfect ways were nearly endless. I couldn't count how many times I tripped or knocked something over while in his presence. I even tripped while walking toward his bike and my helmet made a long, jagged scratch along the pristine black paint of the stylish sides. He was extremely angry at my clumsiness that day. It took weeks, well, months, really, to be able to cook a delicious meal complete with sides. I had accidentally sewn the patch in a blanket to my shirt, and since I couldn't find scissors, Hiei had to use his sword to cut it off me. Oh, and let's not forget that time I smashed all the eggs after we just finished shopping in the crowded, muggy market of Shirakawa-go.

Plus, my relationship with him was disastrous, too. I ruined my first kiss with my forehead. I was pretty stiff the handful of times he advance our kisses because I was unsure of what to do. I had felt kind of stupid just standing there with my arms at my sides and even more stupid when I made my first moan. And I was horrible at sex. Sex should be easy, right? Apparently, like with everything else, I just had a difficult time with it.

I knew we were going to try again, but I was still recovering. I was trying to prepare myself mentally, because sex... it scared me. I think that was why I kept tensing up. It was a mental thing. I just... I don't know. I didn't want to disappoint him. I didn't want to experience that pain. I didn't want things to turn out the way they had these past two weeks, even though I knew my time with him was limited.

"Like I said," Hiei finally said after I practically dug a crater with my sneaker, "your running days are over. You've met your match with me now that I know what to look for should you decide to go barreling into the streets." He grunted rudely. "You never did look both ways when crossing the street, you little fool."

Oh right, the car, I thought. "I wasn't going to get hit." He walked past me with another grunt, as if in disbelief. "I wasn't," I repeated in my defense. "I had time to move and I was fixing to, but the lights... blinded me." It was true. I was going to move. I just got caught up in the headlights and intense situation.

Hiei walked over to a large tree and sat down at the base. I watched him settle against the trunk and rest one his arms on a raised knee. With his other hand, he took out an item. It wasn't until he held it up and it sparkled that I realized what the item was – his mother's teardrop.

So, this was going to be an entire evening of confessions it seemed. I dug my hands back into my pockets to prepare for the questions and answers.

"How much did she tell you," he asked, as he gazed at the jewel with an unreadable expression.

Surprising Hiei was impossible! Did he go through my entire room? I was planning on giving that back to him on his birthday, as I had found out that it was next Friday. I don't think it was actually his birthday, but Keiko mentioned that Yukina's birthday was next week. She explained that it was out of the blue when Yukina expressed the desire to participate with that human occasion. They decided that her birthday would be on the day she requested to participate and every year since, they made it a joyous event.

I was feeling guilty now that Yukina had entered my thoughts. I had been avoiding her since coming back home. I didn't want to be faced with that sorrow in her eyes that was sure to be there from her brother's withdrawal. I needed to have lunch or dinner with her. Yes, that would be nice. Maybe... Hiei could, too. I wish they could reconcile, as Yukina had been distraught when I left three months ago. Hopefully, he would go talk to her soon, but it really wasn't any of my business.

"She explained some about her heritage and your mother's crystallized tear." I eyed his face with trepidation, wondering what he was thinking, but he remained silent. When I didn't say anthing further, he gave me a piercing look for me to finish. "Then, she told me about your people's curse –"

"My curse," he corrected darkly.

_'A fire demon born from ice – a direct opposition from his own people –_'

Recalling that guard's words, I lowered my eyes. I didn't know what else to say, except, "that's it."

Hiei let the necklace pool into the palm of his other hand before pocketing it. "Then you know enough about me." He leaned his head back agains the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes. "The rest of my past is my own and not for you to hear."

"It wouldn't change how I see you."

"So you say," he replied in a cold, mocking tone, and it seemed to echo across the clearing like haunting laughter. "I've done things you couldn't possibly comprehend, but I do not regret my actions, and I've even enjoyed them. I'm sure you've heard the rumors." His eyes flitted up to me, as he regarded me with an intense look. "Any rumors surrounding me were truths."

"If you're going to stubbornly insist that they were all truths, then I'm going to stubbornly ignore them, as I've done for many months now." I crossed my arms in defiance. "'Like I said'," I repeated his words from earlier, "it wouldn't change how I see you."

He looked away with an uncaring expression, seeming to think that my words were insignificant. Sighing, I walked over to him. I stood there modestly and tongued the inside of my cheek, as I contemplated on my actions. I was ready to act after a few seconds when he gave a tired sigh and lowered his knee. Reaching for me, he pulled me down until I was straddling him, which was exactly what I was planning to do.

I eyed his forehead with narrowed eyes. It was a normal forehead, but Hiei was a demon and had a third eye. One would think there would be a slit of some kind along the skin, but it was entirely smooth. I guess he could hide his third eye easily, but it must have taken time. I know that he used to wear this cloth around his head from the few pictures I had seen on Keiko's shelf display.

"You shouldn't hesitate to touch me, Karen." He rested his hands on my hips. "I won't stop you."

"I was getting there," I mumbled sheepishly. Staring at his forehead, I asked, "if your not using your eye, then how come –"

"I know a great deal about you and reading you is as easy as breathing." Hiei replied and his words were laced with an obvious tone.

I felt like challenging him. "I doubt it."

His eyes glittered at my words, but then he said, "we'll have to test that some other time then, won't we, but for now, we have your issue to discuss."

Nervous now, I picked at the fabric along his shoulders. Of course, I started remembering his careless attitude. My eyes narrowed. "You didn't seem to care earlier."

"Because there was nothing to worry about," he reached into his pocket again and pulled out a sheaf of papers that were rolled up. I don't know how I could have missed the documents sticking out of his pockets. Among them was my birth control pamphlet. "Did you even read this through," he asked in regards to my pamphlet as he pulled it away from the rest of the papers.

"Yes, I did." I answered while taking the folded booklet away from him.

The booklet disappeared from my hands and I blinked rapidly. "Obviously not through the entire thing," he remarked.

"Yes I did, too, read it. It takes a full month before it becomes active, because it has to reside in the system –"

"'Depending on your side effects, you could be considered an exception for earlier results of your herbal contraceptive'," he recited and unfolded the booklet, "and you seem to be an exception."

"Where does it say that," I whipped the pamphlet away from him, but it was too dark to make out the tiny words. "I can't see," I muttered. Then, I remembered why I didn't read that section. "Oh," I lowered the book. "I got sick..."

"Didn't they explain that when you took it?"

I glanced sideways, trying to remember. "Not really. She didn't mention anything until she was finished with her notes, but by then, I had already drank that stuff."

"You drank it not knowing what it was?" he questioned with a hint of frustration. "You little fool, that could have been poison."

"It wasn't and it was sitting right there in emphasis to be drunk." I pointed to the side, as if there was a glass sitting beside us. "She put the drink down right next to my arm and I was trying to hurry because I needed to eat lunch before working on my herbs. I had a limited time slot with the greenhouse and couldn't waste unnecessary time questioning everything. Jet and I had to gripe with the other two priestesses just so we could have reasonable time and daylight to work on curatives. The SDF guard told me what it was afterward."

"Afterward," Hiei narrowed his eyes at me.

Ignoring his jab at my too trusting attitude with people, I stared down at the booklet. "She said it would take a month and that I didn't need to take it for another three months, which is a good thing because it doesn't taste very good."

"And I suppose no one explained exactly why they were extracting your blood the day you went to sign your documents with Koenma?"

Again, his voice was cold with fury. I tried to remember that day. The medic in Spirit World was busy and was complaining about my late blood work testing, that it should have been done before I left the temple, but I never questioned his annoyed mutterings.

"I was going to ask, but the medic was rude, and I needed to hurry for my meeting with Koenma. I thought it was just for my files."

His jaw tensed, but he didn't make a remark. Opening his documents, he leafed through it until he plucked a page out and placed it on top. "If you had checked after your meeting, which you didn't," he added the last part with a fleeting glare, "you would have discovered that your medicine is already working. It shows in your blood work here."

Well, that was a relief. I thought back to the champagne he had allowed me to drink. I should have known there wasn't anything to worry about, as Hiei was always looking out for me. Once again, I had been careless.

I peered down at the page he handed me in the bit of moonlight shining down on us. I saw what looked to be numbers and some odd symbols. The information didn't make sense to me. Can't they express it in words?

Not wanting to appear idiotic, I asked, instead, "where did you get these?" But before he could answer, I went through the other papers. I saw the document I had signed with Koenma and a list of things that were currently in my possession. "Koenma," I accused. That traitor! He gave my stuff to Hiei! "This was supposed to be sent in the day I signed them!"

Taking the papers away from me, he rolled them back up and put it away. "He knew better than to do such a thing. Your teachers couldn't have accounted for Koenma's loyalty to me. A silly notion they must have, as I am currently of a higher rank." His voice was dripping with anger and I turned my head to avoid Hiei's hardened gaze. "I find it almost amusing that you would think that you had a chance of slipping past my notice. I am constantly aware of each team that gets sent out and since I am in charge of the border patrol for Mukuro, I get the list of names once you reach the border."

"I was going to tell you." Since we were on the subject, I decided to try and approach the temple business. I had to keep him talking or I might not get another chance. "Since you wouldn't listen to me –"

He gave an aggravated growl. "We're done talking about this."

"See," I pointed out. "You won't listen to me! I knew you wouldn't, which was why I decided to try and prove myself. I didn't mean to go behind your back, but you won't give me a chance."

"I don't think you understand just how much you pissed me off with this, Karen." He whipped the pamphlet from my hands and shoved it into his pocket. His aura was murderous, but he didn't shove me off his lap. I was wondering if I should crawl away until he calmed down. "I have half a mind to destroy your toys –"

"They're not toys," I interrupted hotly, "and I want them back."

"Giving them back would mean I consent to your work," he replied back with a scowl, "which I do not. You might as well stop asking for them until I am ready to discuss this."

"We can discuss it now."

"No."

"I told you I can do it."

"Karen," he warned.

But I wasn't giving up, not when I had his attention finally. I can be stubborn, too, very much so, and he was about to realize it.

"I'm serious." I pointed at the documents. "If you did read all of that, you'll know that I'm a backup. I'm just there in case the lead priestess is unable to extract the energy. I know I'm not a fighter, which is why Genkai wouldn't teach me to fight, and I couldn't hurt anyone if I wanted to. I'm not capable of violence," I whispered that last part. "But I can help with injuries, believe it or not. I can stay out of the way, too."

Closing his eyes, Hiei leaned his head back against the trunk again in a moody silence. I sat there in the tense silence, peeking at him every few seconds. He had that pinched expression at the edge of his eyes and I realized that he must be having a headache. I knew he was having them for a while.

"Hiei," I turned to him.

He didn't answer.

I reached up to either side of his temples with my index and middle fingers. Pressing softly, I massaged his temples in tiny circles. His eyes flew open at my ministrations, but he didn't stop me.

"If you let me do this," I began in reference to helping the other priestesses, "then you wouldn't have to be doing all this work... right?"

"With the meetings," he answered. "However, my contract with Mukuro is unfulfilled until the new guards are up to her standards."

"What are her standards?"

He closed his eyes. "When they are up to my standards."

I smoothed my fingers on either side of the bridge of his nose, outward across his forehead, and back to his temples. My lips perked up into a small smile when he gave a groan of satisfaction. At least now, I think I can add massaging a forehead as my first successful attempt at anything.

Staring at the light shadows beneath his eyes, I felt my lips pull down into a worried frown. I wanted to take away some of that fatigue and stress, but it seems I only added to it. Yet, if he allowed me to help, I'm sure it would take away some of his tension, too. I just wished he trusted me enough to try. I didn't just want to help the other priestesses. I wanted to relieve him of all this work or as much of it as I could, which was why I was adamant on pushing this issue.

Leaning forward, I kissed him gently. "Hiei," I mumbled against his lips, "please let me do this. I don't want you to keep working like this."

"Why can't you be scared of these things anymore," he answered me in frustration and the words fanned against my cheek, as I began kissing along his jawline.

"I am scared." I pulled away and met his eyes, "but if there is a way for me to help, then I want to do it."

"What reasons are you doing this for," he asked angrily and I paused in massaging his head. "I don't understand why you want to do this when I've given you your out." He waited a tense second for my answer, but I didn't give one. "You do realize that you are nothing but a tool." I winced, as he practically hissed the words in his fury. "You're practically a sacrifice for your world and there is nothing here, or in any world, that deserves to be spared their fate of death should it be unleashed upon them. You would gladly spill your blood for your kind, all these humans, that wouldn't peel you off the ground if they saw you lying there? Or how about these demons? I can tell you that they regard you as something only to sink their teeth into and use you until you have nothing left to offer. They are your enemy, all of them, but you're too naive to understand that. I won't allow Spirit World to use you as a sacrifice in any way and sending you there is exactly what they'll be doing."

My truth is all I had to give to make him understand my decision. He had his beliefs, but mine were based on my memories and the light I saw around me. Inhaling, one deep breath to help voice my opinion, I faced him with a level gaze.

"If there is any good in this world, it's in all the people I've met, my friends, and in the these fireflies – all these innocent things that I sketch in my book, that I see everyday." I eyed the passing firefly with a soft smile. "I may not know your world, but I'm sure there is good there, too, because I see it in you." His eyes widened a fraction, but I continued in a stronger voice. "I might be naive, weak, stupid even, but I am not scared to protect the bit of good in these worlds. I'm not trying to be brave or anything, but I have Keiko and Yusuke, the baby, and everyone else. And you, especially you, and I can tell you right now that I am not afraid to face anything that may try and take away that light."

"Karen –"

Crossing my arms, I hardened my eyes and refused to allow him to interrupt me. "That includes you, because you won't let me take care of you or anyone else, even when I'm trying so hard to just make you proud of me." His hands tightened on my hips, but if it was a warning, I ignored it. I felt something claw up from my belly, as I wanted to fight to voice my decision. "If you want to keep calling me out for my ignorance, then go ahead. And if I have to fight the one person that I'm really doing this for, then I will." I thought of my gun if I had it with me. "I'll shoot you with my toy gun if that's what it'll take, and you won't be laughing when you realize that it actually stings. By then, I'll be trigger happy –"

Hiei's hand cupped the back of my head and he crushed his lips to mine to end my wild tirade concerning my bizarre reasons. I nearly choked on my words, but he lightened the kiss. I sank against him, ready for more, until he leaned away.

"I hear you, you little fool," he uttered, "but your words end here." I opened my mouth to protest until he cut me off, "you've said your piece. Now leave it there and," he grimaced, "give me time to decide."

Did I just turn the tide in my decision? I blinked in curiosity. Then, I almost felt like smiling, but I held it inside with a stuttering breath. He had listened to me. The idea was so startling that I didn't know what else to say. Ecstatic, I buried my hands in his hair and pulled his face toward me for a heated kiss.

After a few seconds, I had to pull away a tad.

"... can I have my stuff back while you decide?"

"Karen," he seethed with a nip on my lower lip. "Will you let this go and allow me longer than five seconds to kiss you without you talking my ears off, because apparently, my method of shutting you up doesn't work anymore."

"Okay, I'll stop."

* * *

Nessa collapsed onto a large boulder and flung back onto the hot surface. She gazed up at the sky while panting heavily. Nessa's entire body was aching from all the traveling over the past couple of months. She was dead tired, and all she wanted to do was sleep in a bed with a fat pillow, where the sun wasn't beating down on her delicate skin.

If it wasn't for the herbal sunscreen Saruh had created back at the temple, Nessa would have suffered serious burns. As it was, she was flushed from the sun, but not enough to be in pain. Her skin was toughening against the intense sunlight. Now, if only her hair would do the same. Nessa's pale blond locks were whitening in several places and becoming highlights that she would rather not have, as they made her look old. But it could be the stress of being away from home and working tirelessly for the last two months. For now, she would passed it off as highlights instead of white hairs. Twenty was too young for white hair.

Sitting up, Nessa unhooked the canteen from her belt loop and unscrewed the cap. She drank deeply of the hot water and glanced around at her team.

The team wasn't big, but it was for a safety precaution and allowed them to slip about the territories more easily. Five was the maximum limit, as it was a reasonable number for their travels until they met up with the other teams. Then, they would all travel together until they reached their destination.

She had two SDF guards by the names of Kellon and Yue. They were quiet, but respectable men.

Kellon was her permanent guard. He was tall (then again, everyone was taller than her) with a crew haircut that was low to his scalp. He was a burly man with a low, smoky voice that sounded as if he rarely talked. As a matter of fact, Nessa had only heard him speak a total of ten times throughout their travels. Kellon was a very serious man, but he had always treated her with respectful nods.

Yue appeared to be of an Asian heritage and was shorter than Kellon by several inches. He had curly green hair, which made him look odd when standing next to everyone else. Yue had black eyes and hardly spoke either, except when he made a comment over the direction that they needed to travel in, which he would express in a deep and croaky voice. He was great at tracking and navigating over certain terrains.

The next person on her team was her older sister, Vera. Nessa envied her sister, as she was a true Russian beauty and towered over her considerably. Nessa valued her own beauty, but being younger, she couldn't help but be slightly jealous of her older sibling. After all, it was only natural to regard the eldest with envy.

When Nessa found out what she was, she had dreaded telling her parents. They didn't believe her at first. They laughed, thinking she was joking, or that she had lost her mind from living in Japan for too long. Being the first exchange student in her family, she was considered odd. It didn't help that Nessa fell in love with the culture and decided to stay there for a few more years.

Eventually, her family accepted her true nature. There were tears, many, save for her father. Russians were fighters and he had drilled that into their heads throughout their childhood. He would have came along with her, but Nessa couldn't risk his health. He had a heart condition. She wouldn't allow him to risk his life to protect her, but he wanted someone from home to come with her in this strange world.

Nessa was grateful for her sister's strength, because despite being level-headed and calm, Nessa wasn't as brave as her sister. Vera was a fierce woman – a cold beauty, as some would regard her, but she did have a kind heart like Nessa. She had trained until she was precise with her energy guns. Where Nessa was weak, Vera was strong. She never complained. She did not fear the future. And Nessa would never say so, but Vera was her hero.

She glanced at the last member and smiled.

Kazuma Kuwabara was her highest. She liked Kuwabara, because he was friendly and had a big heart. For a human, he had great spirit energy, but with his somewhat carefree personality, it wouldn't seem he was very strong. She knew otherwise and when she decided on her highest, she couldn't have picked a better person. He never questioned her decisions and was always there to pick up the team should they fall down in exhaustion. There were plenty of times that he had carried someone on the team when they were too weak to keep walking. That was why he was the team leader.

He never gave up.

She had met his wife and sister. Nessa found his wife to be charming and beautiful. She was absolutely stunning, but kindhearted, as she served them all tea when they met up at Kuwabara's house for a team meeting before setting off to Demon World. Vera, with her communication ring, talked for hours with the red-eyed beauty. Nessa felt dwarf by them, as they were both tall and slender. She suddenly wished she was a few inches taller while in their presence.

Shizuru was a familiar face. Nessa remembered her as one of the patrons that would come listen to her sing at the bar she worked at in Tokyo. Nessa had always loved singing, but starting off had been difficult. The only place that would hire her in Tokyo was that small, dingy bar where her boss treated her badly. Nessa would have left a long time ago, but no one else wanted her to sing, even if she was fluent in Japanese. She had a reason to believe it was her foreign looks. But she wasn't a quitter. She stuck it out in that bar while she searched for a more suitable place, because if anything, she was independent. She wasn't going to allow herself to run back home to pursue a singing career. Besides, she loved Tokyo.

"Vee should move on," Vera replied heavily. "What was it," she looked to the team, "some days from thee portal area, no?"

Kuwabara nodded while swiping a wrist across his forehead. "She's right guys. If we don't move, I'll lose my curls." He patted his head and frowned. "Nevermind. My style is ruined, but don't worry," he grinned, "I'm still handsome."

Nessa smiled and hopped down from her perch. He had a way of cheering her up, even if she was exhausted. Being one of the top priestesses, Nessa was constantly at work. She was expected to reach a state in her meditation that would lead her to answers from her dead sisters. She had yet to reach such a state, but she tried everyday. She knew they needed any extra help. It was up to her to reach her ancestors.

But it was time for a much needed break. She couldn't do this for another month. If she didn't rest, she was going to burst into tears. The only thing that kept her moving onward was the people that depended on her and her few sisters that were struggling with her in this chaos. It was just one foot after another these days. Just one foot after another to reach her world with beds, showers, fresh fruits, clean water, and toilets! She wanted to use a toilet!

Now, one look at Nessa, and one wouldn't think she would be picturing a toilet in her mind, However, traveling for months did strange things to even the most sensible person.

The group began moving again when one of the guards stiffened. Kuwabara must have sensed something, too, because he shuddered in the heat of the sun. He turned around and scanned the tree line.

"How many are you sensing," asked Kuwabara to the guard next to him.

Kellon narrowed his eyes. "Twelve."

"Bandits," replied Kuwabara. Turning, he headed over to the others. "I'd start putting up your shield, Nessa. I think we've got bandits watching us."

Nessa's eyes reflected worry, as she raised her hands to her chest in the form of a triangle. They had never run into bandits, but she had heard rumors of their violence. So far, none of the other priestess teams had been hit with any raids. Would they be the first?

"TAKE COVER!" bellowed Yue in his deep, croaky voice.

Nessa didn't have time to gather her energy before her sister tackled her into the ground and shielded her body. Whistles rang through the air and an onslaught of arrows rained down upon them. Kuwabara activated his energy shield and whipped out his swords. With a roar, he batted away the arrows from the two women.

"Thee shield, sister," panted Vera, as she hauled the smaller woman up. "Now. Put it up, now!"

Without a word, Nessa tented her hands again and allowed her energy to flow throughout her body. She concentrated amidst the sudden pounding of hooves and war cries. A pink aura surrounded her until it flared out into a small bubble. Falling to her knees, she kept her focus to keep her shield up. As long as her concentration didn't falter, she could keep her shield for a good hour. As far as she knew, nothing could penetrate through her shield. It was her only physical ability aside from her mental powers.

She watched the area around her with wide blue eyes. The bandit demons were riding atop monstrous beasts that resembled horses. These horses were gray with black eyes and two times the size of a normal horse. She could hear the thunderous grunts of the horses as they circled around the group. Sitting atop each horse, were demons sporting similar tribal tattoos and each leering at them with wild eyes. It was easy to spot the leader. He was the largest among them and had a wild mane of brown hair that fanned out, as if he were a lion. His fangs glinted in the sun.

Kellon had disappeared, but there was a flash of a light. One of the demons gave a startled yell and disappeared from his horse. In the distance, Nessa saw a tree collapse and dust rose up around it. She knew that was Kellon's work.

Yue had tried grabbing a passing bandit that was circling around him with a hyena-like laugh, but was snatched from behind by another bandit. Nessa bit her lip, as she watched him being dragged away. His feet were skidding along the ground, as Yue struggled to tear away from the muscular arm around his throat.

It was all happening so fast. She was trying to keep up, but soon she was blinded by the two horses pawing the ground around her bubble. She glanced up at the two demons sitting proudly upon their horse. She didn't like their eyes. Something didn't seem right. They appeared half crazed. Even their tongues were wagging and one was foaming at the mouth with insane laughter.

A scream pierced the air and Nessa's head whipped to the side. She paled. To the far left, her sister was pinned down to the ground by three bandits that had leaped off their horses. Horror flooded the small woman's veins to witness the demons upon her sister. She saw one lick the side of her sister's face and Vera managed to free her arm. She swung wildly and knocked the demon to the ground. Within moments, the other two covered her body from sight with their large forms.

Nessa's concentration faltered, just for a brief second, and it was enough for one of the demons' to wrap a hand around her hair. She gave a pained cry, as she was flung back against the belly of the horse.

She didn't know what else to do, but cry, "KUWABARA!"

And he must have already been on his way because there was angry yell and the hand released her hair. She tumbled to the ground beside a growing puddle of blood and the demon above her gave a shrilly scream. Nessa glanced up to see him clutching his bloodied shoulder for his entire right arm was gone. She happened to turn to her right where the other demon should be, but he disappeared in a flash. She knew Kellon must have whisked him away.

Vera screamed again and Nessa began running toward her sister. "Kuwabara, please, my sister!" She pointed ahead where her sister was struggling with her captors.

It was when Vera slumped against one of the demons that Kuwabara went charging forwad with narrowed eyes. He pushed his swords together and formed one long sword. Nessa's eyes widened as he barreled through several demons on their horses, knocking them aside as if they were actual barrels. The bandits were just flying into the air with startled yells. Whipping her energy gun out, Nessa fired at them.

Nessa was right behind Kuwabara when he reached her sister. He kicked aside one demon and Nessa heard a sickening crunch. She fired at the demon when he skidded along the ground to help add to his injuries. One of the bandits fled, but as for the other, he was still clutching Vera to him. Nessa saw his green eyes widened and he dropped the woman. He backed away from Kuwabara, but the taller man showed no mercy.

Kuwabara took in Vera's ripped shirt and his small eyes lit up in anger. Ramming his sword into the beefy demon's body, he ran forward while carrying the demon, as if he were meat on a kabob to be grilled.

"You don't ever treat women like that," Kuwabara yelled before the end of his sword collided into a tree to pierce the demon against the bark. "You disgusting excuse for a man."

The demon's head fell toward his chest. He was dead. Kuwabara was breathing heavily and he let go of his sword. He watched the demon hanging there with livid eyes.

"That is nasty," croaked Yue. He stood beside Kuwabara and stared at the hanging demon.

Kuwabara blinked, as Yue rarely spoke, but he could guess why he was speaking now. The tall human's rage had been so intense, he didn't notice that he had pierced his sword through the demon bandit's groin and pinned him to the tree where he was now hanging.

"Eeh," Kuwabara curled his lips. Luckily, he didn't need that sword. He could make another one.

Kuwabara turned around to regard the rest of the bandits. Nearby, Kellon was tying a red energy rope around several demons and beside him were three dead. Nessa was bent over her sister and holding her hands over the tall woman's chest to heal the scratches along her exposed chest. Kuwabara knew Vera would be fine. He had saved her from being taken away and probably from more serious injuries.

"The leader got away," informed Yue. "He left as soon as the fighting began. I think he was testing our group." The guard was still staring at the pinned demon with a bland expression. "Kellon will call it in and explain the attack. If you noticed, they were focused on taking Vera away. It is not unusual for bandits to take the women, but they must have seen that we had no treasures with us. Bandits will never attack unless they are certain we have something of value. The fact that they went for the women is to be reported."

"Might have been after Nessa if it wasn't for her shield."

The guard nodded. "Yes, but we are merely guessing. They might have just been hungry for women." He gave a grunt. "With how they smell, I doubt they've had many. They weren't very stronge either, but catching us off guard was their only advantage. I find it strange that they decided to attack knowing we would overpower them. It's something to think about."

Kellon blurred beside the demon pinned to the tree. He knelt and stared at the area where Kuwabara had ended the bandit's life. "He had tiny nuts."

Kuwabara blinked. Did that serious guard just say the bandit had tiny nuts? He looked from Yue to Kellon. Yue nodded solemnly, as if it was a serious situation. Why, wondered Kuwabara, did they choose now to be more open?

"He just dribbled." Kellon pointed at a different stain from the blood leaking down the demon's dirt, beige pants.

"Okay, let's not talk about nuts and dribbles anymore, guys." Kuwabara turned to check on Nessa and her sister. "It's starting to make me sick and we have ladies nearby."

"Says the one who ended his manliness," remarked Kellon. "Do you want this sword back to restore your lost energy? I can wipe his dribbles off."

Kuwabara blanched with a quick look over his shoulder. "No!"

Kellon shrugged and yanked the sword out. Shouldering the demon bandit, Kellon carried him to the other dead bodies. They would be burned, while the unconscious ones would be taken to the check point for interrogation.

"Nessa, are you okay," asked Kuwabara.

With teary eyes, Nessa nodded. She glanced down at her sister. "Yes, and so is Vera. She should wake soon." She gave Kuwabara a watery smile. "Thank you."

Kuwabara was going to say more, such as to scold Nessa for letting her shield down when she should know better, but then the tied bandits shot up in a hazy blast of fire. The entire group was stunned into silence, as they watched the flames consume the bodies like a breeze. Ashes fluttered to the ground in seconds and the sight was eerie. Kellon hurriedly tossed the demon bandit off his shoulder and the demon burst in mid-air. They all watched the bandit's ashes rain down upon the ground.

"Guys, do bandits normally explode like that?" asked Kuwabara.

"No." Yue's expression drooped into a frown.

"I think this has to do with Cain," whispered Nessa from where she sat on the ground. "They had evil in their eyes. It was almost unnatural. I could feel it."

Nodding, Kuwabara turned to Kellon. "Let's get a signal. She's right. I'm getting the tingles."

Kellon nodded and headed toward one of their fallen packs to fetch his communication device.

Kuwabara stared off into the distance.

He didn't like this.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! And in answer to those handful of PMs about the flame, don't worry. I'm not quitting. I've thanked a lot of you personally this past week and I received such beautiful responses. Thanks. To my guest reviewers, I thank you, too (but I can't reach you like the others). Oh, and if you're putting in links, I think if you place in spaces, I can just piece it together, and then check it out. You know who are. Thank you for trying to help me, but I was a little confuse by what you meant. Do you have an account to send a PM? I'd appreciate your help!

And in case you guys forgot, Kuwabara likes Mulberry trees, is a man, and has a sword - he just kicks all kinds of ass. Thanks also to my beta, **akasoeki - **she also came up for the idea about the Western food! Thanks, Ali for being there for me! See you next week and as always, I love you guys! Later!

Also, I have a deviant art page. Check it out. Link in profile.


	43. That Awkward Moment When

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Three: That Awkward Moment When...

* * *

'_The house is ready._'

Those were Hiei's exact words when he called me at noon. Coupled with a few lengthy silences and odd mutterings, mostly on my end to just keep him talking, the conversation had lasted exactly thirty seconds to which I dubbed as the longest phone conversation between us. In this famously epic conversation, he had informed me that he would be home within three hours, to be ready, and that the house was also ready.

Ready for what, I had questioned. Did he expect me to be all packed when he came home with my suitcases crammed with clothes and a pillow and blanket tucked under my arm, as if we were going camping? Or did he want me to just be dressed and ready to leave when he arrived home?

Huffing, I slumped down onto my bed to mull over his short sentences.

No, it must be the first choice, as it didn't take me long to get dressed, and how he had said to be ready might imply for me to indeed be packed. Rubbing a hand through my hair, I quirked my lips into a pout. Why couldn't he have specified what he meant by being ready? I contemplated on calling him, but I had already wasted half an hour just trying to figure out what he meant with his vague sentences. Calling him would do no good at this point, I realized when I had glanced at the clock. He was most likely tied up in another meeting and I wasn't going to be that annoying woman blowing up his phone just to ask a simple question.

I was not going to stress over his vagueness. If he wanted me to be ready, he would have said to pack. Going with that reasoning, I was simply going to be dressed and waiting for him. Besides, I couldn't be ready to move in a mere few hours. It was going to take an entire day to maneuver around my room and figure out what needed to come with me.

I glanced around my room, feeling the nostalgia of the months that I had lived here in this beautiful house that had been my first home. I could still remember my breathless excitement of seeing the bed, the book shelf, and the computer after Keiko uncovered my eyes. There were also fond memories of sitting at the desk studying while Yusuke breathed down my neck about needing to eat – scratch that – those were terrifying moments. Then, there were countless times that Keiko would keep tidying up my room and clucking her tongue at me about needing to organize my drawers – but not once, did I heed her demands. I had even successfully hit Hiei with a pillow while dressed in my bunny pajamas and that memory there caused a fluttering giggle to drift from my lips. I have come such a long way with him...

My reflections stunned me into breathing out, "wow."

I was going to live with Hiei.

The idea should not have been a big deal, because I have lived with him before, only that time had been for my safety. This time, it was more personal. We hadn't discussed living with one another and I didn't know if the concept was rushed, to be expected, or caught somewhere in-between where it seeped into a unique crack of its own. My interpretation of living together with him was a huge step, but to Hiei, it was hardly worth raising a brow at in any ounce of curiosity. Our worries in this relationship were completely one-sided. Once again, my life was taking the quick route and I was left to stumble down that road toward a finish line that he had already crossed.

I needed to learn to catch up and appear less frazzled at all these twists and turns, or my neck was going to be continuously sore every time my head swiveled around to regard each surprise he tossed into my life. Living with him couldn't be too different than before, I reasoned. There was just going to be the constant intimacy and... okay, just that. Sex had entered the picture and that did change things greatly.

Already, sleeping with one another was different in that he was practically naked beside me every night. He slept in his boxers and just the other night, he had on boxer briefs. Dear god, that night had sent heat throughout my body. Black boxer briefs revealed the outline of his entire lower region, but hid his flesh from view with a wicked laugh. Such underwear for men should be outlawed from men like Hiei. I was positive that he had just been teasing me, but when he climbed in to bed, he simply turned onto his back and promptly went to sleep. Yet, if the lights had been on, I'm sure his lips would have been lifted up into that cruel smirk.

At least he was wearing underwear. I doubt I'd get any sleep if he decided to go commando. I expect his nightly attire would change once things were more settled between us and by that, I meant sex. He didn't push me. He didn't even approach the subject. I had reason to believe that he was waiting for us to be living in the new house where we would have complete privacy or on me to decide for us – and that could take a while because I'm a coward.

While he was stripping down at night, I stuck to a boring shirt, or tank top, and shorts. I still wore my bra, too, which, and most girls might agree with me, was irritating, especially when sleep was to be done entirely in comfort. I was too self-conscious to go without that smothering material and the one time I did, while sleeping with him, had ended up in him climbing on top of me in order to alleviate his stress. The few times I had the bed to myself, I was able to whip it off and sleep comfortably. It also didn't help that Yusuke lived here, too, and with my night time wanderings, it would have been embarrassing for him to catch me wearing a thin shirt without my brassiere. He would surely notice the evidence these days, too, as Keiko kept the air unit on full blast.

Reaching up, I fingered my bra strap beneath my shirt with a frown. It was time to adapt again. If he was waiting for me to decide when we were going to try and sleep with each other again, then I was going to have to chase away my fears and be more comfortable around him.

'_The next step is – it just comes naturally._'

I felt like scowling at Valon's words, because that next step hadn't come naturally. Instead, that next step had been fast, intense, and painful – oh, and let's not forget, humiliating. Of course, I wasn't placing all the blame on him. I knew not to expect too much from him, but the next time, I wanted it to be more gentle.

Right now, I was doing my best to prepare myself mentally for whenever it should happen. I was even trying to push the kisses, but he pulled away before they could lead to anymore fondling. I mean, I was intimidated by sex, but I didn't want him to shy away from me.

If anything, I did not like being scared. Any fear placed in my head was chased away with rough hands, piercing glares, and taunting words. I was forced into that snake pit. Genkai had kicked the chicken out of me for three months to the point that I nearly laid an egg. Hiei had always pushed me if I even tried shying away from the unexpected. I just needed to meet this head on, too, by conquering it through the actual act.

Maybe if I tried to be more flirtatious, I could show him that I was ready to try again, because I doubt I could voice the request. I was too awkward to say 'Hiei, let's have sex'. The words would sound idiotic coming from my mouth and I wasn't going to make a fool out of myself by uttering for us to have sex. He would probably laugh at me and that was just what I needed for my ego– a sexy, dark laugh.

But how was I going to be more flirty, or rather, seductive, when I was constantly struggling in my relationship with him?

I guess I could always whip out the skirts and dresses again? Lately, I was sticking to the shorts and t-shirts, and those trusty sneakers. I could try slipping on my heels, maybe even the garter set. I could bend over, and hope he sees that it's... well, a garter set. No, I blushed. With my luck, I would bend over too fast and face plant with my butt hanging in the air to display said garter set.

Hopeless.

I am completely hopeless.

I had no idea how to turn up the heat with a man. He made all the advances before I even had time to pucker up my lips. But, I fumed, this could be good for me. Being more promiscuous with him might help the stress my mind was placing on sex and help set the mood for when we were finally alone in the new house.

Staring at my phone, I knew of no other person to call for girl advice than Valon. She was currently on vacation before her next trip to Demon World and I didn't want to bother her, but I needed to fix this relationship. She was my guru. I needed her wild advice or maybe just some encouraging words from a good friend.

Dialing her number (I hope Yusuke had an international calling on the phone plans), I stood up and began a weary pace.

"Hey, my girl!" Valon greeted after only two rings. "What's up – TROY, I'M DRIVING HERE!"

I heard a man cursing and a few men laughing in the background. A jaunty whistle pierced through the receiver and Valon yelled something about 'always picking on me'.

"Sorry," she grumbled after a minute. I could just picture her obsidian eyes giving an annoyed roll. "My brother tossed some hay on my head when I went cruising by on the four-wheeler. He's just mad because the ranch hands are eying me up. I'm just trying to get a tan." She revved the engine for a minute in her aggravation. Giving an unlady-like snort, she hissed, "a bikini top and cut-off shorts is not a big deal. It's not like I'm naked. The girls are in place, thank you."

"Oh come on," I teased. "I bet you're trying to impress someone with your abs."

"Okay, okay, I might be sending out some vibes to this older cowboy." She gave a dreamy sigh and I laughed. "He's a tall guy, late twenties, and half Kiowa. Karen, you should just see how he rides in those jeans and that dark cowboy hat. I think he might me the oldest I've ever gone for, but I'm hoping to end my dry spell before I leave."

At that, I grinned. I could just picture her riding around on her four-wheeler while following that guy around like a puppy. I'm sure she would be ending her dry spell soon. Valon was a determined woman that left a trail of accomplishments in her wake.

"So," Valon purred into the phone. "Did you point your heels to the sky and scream out in –"

"Valon!" I hissed.

She howled into the phone. "Well, did you or not?"

Ignoring her sniggers, I inhaled deeply before launching into my dilemma. I left out the intensity of that first night and all the arguments, but worked in his busy schedule to make it appear as if we didn't have much time for softer intimacy, which resulted in a hasty first encounter. I informed her that he was now hesitant to try again, or do anything more than kiss, until we had moved in to our new house. Although we were waiting, I didn't want him to stop whenever thing were heating up. I'm not sure how she bought the hesitancy, but I did also mention that I was having trouble with sex. Surprisingly, she didn't laugh. She was completely silent (very scary) until the end where I wilted with my confessions.

"Are you still wearing the outfits and everything?"

"Yes." I lied, but I was going to wear them again.

"The thongs," she asked slyly, because she must have known by now that I had discovered her devious act.

"Yes." I hissed in annoyance. "I actually had to spend an entire day wearing that and it wasn't comfortably after a while. Can you say wedgie?"

"Wow, you wore it in public?" Valon snorted into the phone, clearly enjoying my underwear discomfort. "I thought you were just going to stick to the bedroom and get use to it."

I sighed. It wasn't like I had a choice at the time. "Anyways, so I'm wearing the clothes –"

"The garter set?"

…

"Hello," questioned Valon.

"I was sort of... saving that."

I heard Valon cluck her tongue. The buzzing of the engine died down and she seemed to be moving around, as there were sounds of the wind whistling in the phone.

After a minute, she said, "wear it with something he can get his hands under, girl. You just got to try and get him to reach under there. It shouldn't be hard. If you have to, just drop your skirt." At her words, she gasped in excitement. "YES! Try out that idea and you'll give him a nosebleed!"

I blinked.

"Fine." Valon gave a smug giggle of one that could just imagine my heated face from my stunned silence. "You can work up to that, but let's see... I think you should just try some small things. You could brush up against him, maybe come up behind him, just do anything you can to get his attention. Make him see that you want him to focus on you instead of work. He's probably just stressed. I wouldn't place too much worry on his withdrawal. He most likely thinks he won't be able to control himself during foreplay, so you'll just have to show him that he can." She was smacking on something. I think it was gum. "Try and massage him. Hell, make a sandwich and shove it down his throat while you're at it."

I frowned at the sandwich comment, as it was entirely over played that even Kenji made remarks to it whenever I went to the kitchen. Shaking my head and taking a deep breath, I let it out in one big 'whoosh'. "All right, I can do that."

"Of course you can! Now, about that sex problem," she lowered her voice, as if it was a big secret. "It's not a big deal if you didn't orgasm. A lot of women don't their first time. I even read somewhere that it's mental thing. So I think you're right in trying to liven things up with him. Just have fun with it and relax. Don't stress too much about it. It'll happen."

I fell back on my bed.

"Look," she continued steadily. "I think once you guys are completely alone, it'll be kick ass awesome. Just take your time, breathe, and trust each other, okay? C'mon girl," she cheered loudly. "You can do it."

"Thanks, Valon." It was all I could say, because this was entirely up to me.

"And if none of that works, look closely within your closet for the ultimate weapon."

Was she talking about the garter belt again?

"And if, after all that, it still doesn't work, then just reach down there, grab him firmly, and he'll do anything you want!"

"I – what?" A hand job? She wants me to give him a hand job!

"Oh, and..."

I quirked a brow, waiting for her to finish.

"How big is he?"

"Valon!"

"C'mon, give me some measurements!" In her excitement, she pressed several buttons on her phone. "Now, I'll count and you stop me at his size." Hurriedly, she added, "in inches!"

"Valon, I'm hanging up!"

"... six, seven, eight, nine, ten –"

Given that Lena tortured me with numbers for months, I quickly interrupted Valon before a headache could ensue. "Goodbye!"

"Damn," howled Valon in outrage. "He's that big? Are you okay?"

"I wasn't confirming anything!" her laughter caused my heated words."I was just saying bye!"

Angered now, she yelled, "tell me how big he is, dang it! You know I'm sexually frustrated, Karen! I keep telling you that! Give me some details!"

Hanging my head, I didn't hear the door behind me open. "I'm hanging up now! Please accept my goodbye and have a lovely vacation!"

"I demand that you tell me!" I had to hold the phone away with how loudly she was screaming into the receiver. "Best girlfriends don't keep this kind of information from each other! We tell each other the size of all our guys, so tell me right now!"

"I think your mind has been seriously warped on what information girlfriends share!"

"TELL ME!"

"FINE!" I argued back with a curl of my fist. "He's extremely big –"

"Who is?"

I screamed in horror and knocked back against my dresser hard enough that the objects sitting atop the woodwork tumbled to the ground. My cry echoed throughout the house with the power of an opera singer. I was expecting my windows to shatter, but they only twinkled in the sunlight. My eyes zeroed in on the man standing in the middle of my room with bright, red eyes. Hiei lifted a brow at my actions with his hands resting casually within the pockets of his jeans. I was panting with the phone clutched to my chest.

"Hell yeah," came Valon's muffled response.

I ended the call.

Why was I always forced into such awkward situations?

Slowly, I lowered the phone to my lap and pasted a quick smile onto my face. He nodded at my cell. "I was talking to Valon." I answered while fiddling with my phone.

"Another idiot friend of yours that apparently feels the need to shout to be heard?"

"H-how much did you hear?"

"Why?" he countered quickly.

Just great, I grumbled in silence. This was another Jet situation, but this time, I really didn't want to reveal the conversation with him. It was private!

"Okay," I smoothed a wrinkle out of my shirt and attempted to change the conversation. "You said be ready, so I'm ready."

"Karen."

Because Valon had thoroughly humiliated me, I crossed my arms with an irritable huff. I could feel my ears burning along with my cheeks. "You don't have to know everything."

"You kept an astounding amount of information from me. Blame yourself for my mistrust in you."

"It's not like you ever trusted me to begin with," I muttered under my breath, as I placed my phone onto my desk. "You won't even let me leave the house anymore."

"I have my reasons for that," he informed me in a low murmur. Meeting his eyes, I saw anger and something else dancing within the fiery depths.

Since he wasn't budging, I decided to answer his earlier question. My cheeks most likely resembled the rouge upon a clown, but if I was going to be embarrassed, I might as well drag him down with me.

"Valon was asking how big your penis was," I said jerkily. "I said you were extremely big. That's it."

He made an odd grunt and from another man, it might have resembled a spluttered cough.

I stared everywhere but him while my cheeks rivaled several sunsets.

His eyes were burning into the side of my face.

Was that a spider web in the corner? I should really dust more often.

Then, he cleared his throat.

I gave a weird flap of my hands against my back pockets and teetered from one foot to the other in the strained silence. Softly, I broke it with, "can we leave now?"

"Hn."

I told him he didn't have to know everything, which had been subtle warning for him to drop the subject. Now, I had successfully stunned him into grunting. I didn't even feel all that embarrassed anymore. It was as if I had passed along that awkwardness to him and now he had to suffer with the hawing and humming, as he worked out a response.

Well, now I knew what to do to get him to leave me alone. Since he didn't trust me, I was just going to reveal anything he wanted. My startling theory was a reversal of my actions I had used against him in the beginning where I had smiled every time he acted rudely with me. Let him deal with the stammers and blushes in his own way. I'm tired of always being socially awkward and if I was turning over a new leaf, now was the time to do so in order to avoid resembling a carrot all the time.

Feeling a strange sort of confidence, I lifted my chin and strode past him.

* * *

Throughout the car ride, I was quietly observing the passing scenery out the window and giving him some silence after his busy morning.

Driving any kind of distance with someone without a radio blaring music would most likely be uncomfortable, giving an uneasy tension that would result in much fidgeting, but with Hiei, I knew he didn't care for music. Throughout our travels, we had driven without music and with few words. Only the rumblings of passing cars and the whisper of the air unit provided any sort of noise.

Miles later, he turned onto a long paved road and the houses lining the street were large with a sizable distance between one another to give reasonable space. The houses weren't mansions, but they were nice, like Keiko and Yusuke's house in Hakone. They represented a permanent home, where families were raised, and lives were lived in comfort.

I eyed the trimmed stretches of lawns and hedges. Some houses had flowerbeds that were given much affection by their owners. And one house had the tell-tale signs of kids, as the lawn was littered with toys and a well-worn basketball goal. All in all, it was a nice, quiet looking neighborhood. It was hardly crowded and gave the impression of a friendly environment.

He continued driving and the houses were more spread out now, and there, just before the end of the lane, he turned onto another road. There were only three houses down this way and he pulled into the driveway of the last house. My eyes widened.

"T-this is it?" The two-story, brick house, in some parts, but the other material was unrecognizable by me, was standing proudly before us in the afternoon sun. "I thought that it would be apartment-size or something."

"Living in a crowded complex isn't my idea of living." He pocketed the keys and pushed open his door.

The dinging of the opened door snapped me out of my daze and I undid my belt to rush outside before Hiei could leave me. There were a few trees around the house and a large lawn all around, almost country-like, but more crowded, as there were houses in the distance.

I headed up the three steps onto the porch that had fencing closing it in and spent a small moment staring at the decorative bushes on either side of the steps. Columns were holding up what appeared to be a balcony above us and I placed a hand against one while Hiei unlocked the door.

Since no one was living here and there was nothing inside yet, our footsteps echoed within the house in an eerie way. I crept behind Hiei timidly.

The entrance way led to three doors and I peeked inside each room with trepidation, as I was just waiting for someone to come shooing me away. One of the things I noticed immediately were the large windows about the house that lit up the rooms with a great amount of sunlight. On the first floor, there was the kitchen, which was easy to figure out, given the huge, nearly wrap-around, island counter and several cabinets. A sliding door led out to a dining room, I suppose, as it was closed off from the other rooms, and the only entrance was from the kitchen. The largest room was no doubt the living room and as for the other room, I was unsure of what its use was in the house. Perhaps, it was a study of some sort, because there was a large framed window seat against the far wall. I could just imagine sitting there sketching or reading a book.

Turning away, I went back to the kitchen. Oddly enough, the stairway to the upper floor was located in the kitchen and the staircase spiraled up gracefully. I climbed up the stairs with a small grin in anticipation to what the upper floors would reveal.

There was another entrance way that provided a great deal of space to keep the house opened and uncluttered, and I tread down the wide hallway. A bathroom and four bedrooms were up on this floor. There was nothing new to note about the rooms, as they were mostly the same in appearance with the wide windows and great space. The master bedroom was easy enough to locate because it was the largest room. Each window on the second floor gave great views of the outside world and standing in the master bedroom, I stared at the quiet neighborhood in the distance.

Overall, the house was just slightly smaller than Keiko and Yusuke's house. They had an added bathroom and greater amount of land, but for us, this house – or rather, to me – was like we were settling down. I knew Hiei liked space. He hated being crowded and if he had a choice, he most likely would have wanted to have a house in Shirakawa-go. However, this was acceptable to him. I didn't know if it was just because the house was without furniture that gave the structure a feeling of huge space, or if it was just truly magnificent.

Was it really ours?

Or his?

Because I couldn't accept that it was mine. I had no hand in buying it and would never, in my entire life, be able to afford a house of this magnitude, or any size, really. A two bedroom apartment was a much more likely scenario for me if I were on my own and to me, two bedrooms would be the equivalent of a mansion in my small world. I was almost overwhelmed at being thrust into the idea that I would be living here with the intention that it was to be my house, too.

Did I truly belong here? Over a year ago, I could have never imagine my life to lead in this direction of living with a powerful demon, in a house that was... beautiful. It was a dream home that filled many a woman's head and now, for the first time, it was there in my head. Long ago, this just wasn't a possibility for me.

I wondered if one day I was going to wake from this fairytale – this sweet, heavenly dream – and feel a dwindling disappointment. I might wake up in my tiny room that I had shared with two others, sitting up on my lumpy mattress with my stained Salvation Army blanket, because this was all so far from my common hands. I thought as much while staring down below at the two trees that waved up at me. My eyes flickered to my hands to note its contact against the solid frame of the window, just eying the banal skin resting along the pretty woodwork.

"Your house, it's –"

"Our house," Hiei interjected roughly.

With my back to him, it was easy to hide my conflicting emotions, but I lifted my lips into a hurried smile and voiced softly, "it's really beautiful."

He grunted and I turned around to meet his gaze. His eyes were moving about the room in a bored flicker to simply regard the room as just a room. When the red irises finally landed on me, he said, "it's just a house."

Even if I had claimed this room to be the master bedroom by its size, I couldn't help but ask quietly, "can this be our room?"

"I couldn't careless where our room is," he informed me with a roll of his shoulder. "Your the one fixing it up. Do whatever you want."

Wait? I'm furnishing the house? I blinked in confusion. How on earth was I going to furnish the entire house when I had never fixed anything up before? Every place I had stayed at had been prepared for me. Keiko had fixed up my room and all I had to do was put a few books onto my bookshelf. Mei had practically bulldozed her way into the small house in Shirakawa-go and put up her homely touches. Now, he wanted me to decorate an entire home?

Before I could splutter out my musings, he had turned away to head back downstairs. I rushed after him, afraid that if I stayed alone in this house, that I would wake up and find myself dreaming.

"The utilities won't be on for another four days." We were in the kitchen now and he slipped a card out of his pocket. "I don't care what you get, just make sure there's a bed."

Numbly, I peered down at the plastic card he had handed me. It was extremely flat with a silver face and there, written in gold lettering was my name. No, it was a weird form of my name. I traced the lettering while muttering silently 'Karen Urameshi Jaganshi'. What happened to my name?!

"Who's Jaganshi?"

He was leaning against the island counter and eyeing me with a lilt of amusement. "The last name Koenma provided for me to live more comfortably in your world. Given their limited creativity, they based it off the meaning of my Jagan Eye. Its been my surname for years."

"Oh."

I continued tracing the last name until its meaning worked itself into my mind. "Why is it attached to the end of my name?" And even as I asked it, I understood what it meant. When I glanced back up at him, his eyes were dancing with smug curiosity as he waited for my shocked expression.

My mouth fell open in disbelief. "Wait... this... I don't," I huffed. "I'm not sure what to make of it."

Pulling out the papers from his pocket, something I needed to start paying attention to, because one of these days he was going to yank out a snake, he nodded his head for me to join him at the counter. I wasn't sure what to expect when I looked down at the papers he set upon the smooth surface. I read quietly while he stood at my shoulder. When I was done reading, a blush fanned across my face.

"M-m-marriage!"

I hadn't wanted to believe it in the first place, but the paperwork revealed the documents for proof of me as his wife. The papers were similar to Keiko and Yusuke's documents that had been created for my schooling acceptance and at the bottom were two inky seals from a stamp. My name was doused in the ink and I felt a strange turning in my stomach of unsettling awkwardness as how to react to this information.

"Little fool, it's just paperwork. Your world's marriage acts are similar to my claim. I explained that to you."

"Yes, but," I eyed my name at the bottom. "I didn't stamp that."

"Drawn up by Koenma." He took something else out from within his pocket and tossed it onto the documents. I waited until the object rolled to a stop. It was a stamp. "Your seal. Don't lose it. You'll be needing that for a majority of your purchases along with that card."

I still didn't stamp it, I grumbled while staring at my seal on the document. I'm not sure why it was so important for to keep having that thought zipping around in my head. Maybe I was just one of those old fashioned women that would have liked to be proposed to, or at least, have been there to stamp the documents myself instead of by Koenma's quick working hands.

No, don't fret, Karen, I straightened up. I had agreed earlier to appear less frazzled by the shocking events in my life. He did explain the similarities of his claim to the traditions in my world. Even if it was hurried documents, they represented a realistic proof to my world that we were married. Of course, it was just paperwork, which chased away my wild thoughts. It was the sham marriage again.

But again, why were these awkward situations just continuously slapping me in the face?

Putting the stamp into my purse, I held up the card. He understood my silent question and explained. "That's a proxy card tied to the account under my name. It's temporary until your account is set up. I advise you not to lose it, either."

This card was going to be my payments for the furnishings of the house. My brows dipped into a worried frown and I asked curiously, "how much is on here?"

"I've told you plenty of times that money is not an issue." His tone was reprimanding, but not enough that I flinched, just in a way that he was scolding me from my troublesome thoughts.

Sighing, I turned and leaned against the counter beside him. My eyes strayed to gold lettering of my name – my now odd name, seeing as my first name was plain looking beside the two foreign names. I knew 'Urameshi' was there to represent my absent middle name. Yet staring at the full set of names, I realized that I didn't really like my first name anymore.

Karen was boring. The name was a plain Jane Doe name.

With that thought, my mind returned to the reflections from earlier where I had been regarding the magnitude of the house. "Hiei," I began in a timid voice that bordered on a whisper. "I'm out of place in this. I haven't done anything to... I mean, I could never afford this, anything like this," I waved a hand out before me. "I can't even afford an inch of this counter top to eat on." Breathing shakily, I continued, "I don't have anything to give. I'll never have anything to give –"

His arms came around to trap me against the counter and interrupted my perturbed tirade in quietly voiced anger. "You always have that irritating habit of making me repeat my words. Does anything ever pierce through that hard head of yours the first time around?" He asked sarcastically. "Instead of me repeating myself, your going to voice it for me. Your thoughts are centering on an assurance that I gave you nights ago. Now tell me what that was, Karen."

From his words, one sentence floated to the surface and I repeated it back with a lowering of my eyes. "... I'm not a burden."

Rough fingers settled against my neck and he pushed my chin up with his thumb. His face was inches from mine. "If this house and the money is bothering you that much, I'll prove to you that it doesn't mean anything to me by burning down this place and buying another just as quickly." With that, he swatted the card out of my hand and it slid over to my purse. "Stop your senseless worrying."

Staring at the card, I gave a tiny nod. I wasn't sure when I would get over this new life of mine, but adapting to the situation was greatly needed. To show such adaption, I glanced back over at him shyly. He was watching me with calm interest and I remembered my determination to be more coy. However, dressed in jeans and a loose fitting tee weren't exactly appealing on me, but I just had to work with it.

"Okay," I agreed while placing my hands on either side of his biceps. "I understand. I was just," my lips were dry and I swept my tongue over my bottom lip. The small act caused his eyes to land on my mouth. I was surprised at how quickly his eyes darkened. "I was just being stupid again."

Maybe being more intimate with him wasn't as hard as I imagined. My body seemed to know what to do even if my mind was getting sluggish around him. I waited for my impulsive thoughts to return, but they stayed away. My mind was almost sluggish, drugged by his close proximity and a churning need that had been inside me for days. I kept my eyes locked on his face while my hands unconsciously kneaded up his biceps in a soothing manner.

"I really love the house." My voice was low, almost unrecognizable to me.

I was watching as his head lowered for a kiss. With my hands resting upon his shoulders, I leaned up, but instead of kissing him on the lips, I aimed for his cheek. My lips fluttered along the expanse of skin and down to his neck. After I had nuzzled my nose there for a few seconds, I finally gave a small lick up to his his earlobe. In my drunken mind, I felt him tremble against me. I bit down gently on his lobe.

Hiei's hands went to my hips and lifted me up to sit on the counter top. His lips captured mine in a heated caress and needing to be closer, I dropped my hands to his sides to pull him in-between my legs. The house was stifling hot without any open windows or electricity to fan the air, but being this close to him, increased the heat even more until just the act of breathing was a weary, yet delicious act. He created more fire inside me when his fingertips peaked beneath my shirt. At my moan, he seemed to stiffen and made to pull his hand away with a muffled word that sounded like a curse.

"No," I whined. Pulling his hands back, I shoved them under my shirt and held them in place with solid stubbornness. "Don't stop."

"I won't be able to if I carry on anymore," he hissed.

"Yes, you can," I reasoned while reaching back up to his face to pull him in to me. "Just a little more," I begged against his lips. "I trust you."

"Karen," Hiei warned, but already, I knew he was obeying my request.

The sensations of his calloused hands gliding up my sides caused a fever within my body that trailed down between my legs. With a quivering gasp, I placed my hands on the surface beneath me and arched back when his hands reached my covered breasts. I never knew my breasts were so sensitive, but they were painfully tightened, wanting to be free from the restricting brassier. It was as if they were seeking his touch. Another breathy moan slipped from my lips and it echoed within the kitchen when he brushed his thumbs at the tips of my mounds.

When another moan threatened to leave my lips, I unconsciously bit it back, knowing it would be voiced loudly. Even through this hazy pleasure, I was trying to keep quiet, unsure of really why I was doing so. He attacked my neck with open-mouthed kisses that had his tongue and teeth scraping along the column of my throat. My body shuddered violently and he chuckled darkly where the sound of it rumbled along my skin.

Then, his phone started ringing. My mind snapped back to the present and I felt a flush of embarrassment when he turned away from me furiously. Ducking my head, I fixed my shirt back into place and hurried to button my jeans. I hadn't realized he had undone the button and my face burned.

Hopping back down onto the floor, on unsteadily legs, I waited patiently while he rudely greeted whoever it was on the other end of the line. He listened a moment and I collected my purse, knowing that he was going back in to work. I scooped up the card and documents. An annoyed sigh left my lips from his busy schedule. My body was shivering with waves of tingles and there was a feeling of emptiness that was irritating me into a glower.

I didn't ask him about the call, as he appeared furious when he hung up the phone. He stood there in the middle of the kitchen and swiped a hand through the back of his hair. Giving a grunt, he turned and headed toward the entrance. Quietly, I followed him.

Aside from the sexual tension, it really was a wonderful house.

* * *

Hiei gave a glance over his shoulder to check one last time on Karen, as he left her in the hands of that bumbling ogre that Koenma affiliated with on a daily basis. He didn't trust Spirit World. He had an alliance with them, but they had failed him numerous times in their attempts to protect Karen. Seeing the small smile on her face from something the tall ogre said, he gave a tired grunt and turned away. Leave it to her to be able to befriend a multitude of creatures that gave off a fetid odor.

Without knocking, he entered into the correct conference room and the first thing he saw was Kuwabara's beady eyes upon the massive television screen. Said man was currently talking to Captain Otake of the SDF force. There were a few lingering guards, but they were mostly there to take up space and appear important.

Kuwabara, having been away from months, wanted to grin like a fool when he saw a familiar face, but then he remembered the last time they had talked with one another – or yelled and had been used as a punching bag for the demon's anger. Immediately, his lips stopped from forming into a full grin and turned downward into a hurried frown. Miles away, and on a television screen, he straightened to his fullest height, which didn't change his composure much in the presence of his beloved's brother.

Kuwabara nodded his head at Hiei. "Hiei."

Hiei regarded Kuwabara with a silent look, then, without returning the greeting, he turned to the captain. "What was so important that you fools had to issue an emergency call?"

Captain Otake narrowed his eyes, but didn't back down at the cold tone. "Team two was involved in a bandit raid."

As the representative for Mukuro's land, Hiei now understood why they dragged him back to Spirit World. Yet, bandit raids were bound to happen, and he said as much with a sneer, "this is no startling news. Bandits are scattered throughout Demon World and seeing as he seems to be in one piece, I don't see why this couldn't have waited until tomorrow." Turning away, Hiei headed for the door, saying over his shoulder, "file the attack and send it to the guard outpost for further review."

"It wouldn't be a big deal, but these guards exploded." Kuwabara admitted gruffly. "Even in Demon World that's unusual." Hiei stopped. "Yue here says that bandits only attack if they are sure there is something worth taking, but they only went for Nessa and Vera."

"They're human women." Hiei answered with closed eyes. "And as far out as you were, the air there increases the potency of a demon's senses. One of those females must have been nearing her cycle."

If Hiei had turned around, he might have saw the way Kuwabara's nose wrinkled, because even a gentleman turns his nose up at a woman's monthly woes.

"You guys are like cats in heat?" asked Kuwabara incredulously.

Otake, in a very serious voice, explained, "a similar example. A week before a demon woman's cycle is a dangerous time, but they have a more spread out cycle than human women. It was something I was fixing to explain before Hiei arrived and he was right in saying that the air there heightens a demon's primal instincts."

Kuwabara shook away his thoughts of cats and waved Otake's words away. "Okay, well that's not all. Nessa had a bad feeling about them, said something about them being too wild in the eyes. I agree. Something didn't feel right and the leader was just watching us fight from afar. He rode straight through our group, but turned away."

Head pounding and not really in a mood for story telling, Hiei went straight to the point, ordering, "describe their leader."

"Pretty tall."

Hiei whirled around to give Kuwabara an annoyed glare. "If you're going to waste my time with your vague descriptions, then talk to this stiff," he jerked his head over to Otake, "with the stache oozing from his face pores, as I have more important matters to carry out than to listen to your limited intelligence."

It had been a long time since Kuwabara had heard Hiei's darkly humorous remarks. In fact, it had been years since he had heard Hiei voice his sarcastic opinions. Not to mention the way he was acting, albeit still intimidating and cold, was akin to a certain calm. It wasn't a new side, no, but more like the Hiei that had given a jaunty speech about an alliance after Kuwabara shooed him away because he feared the wrath of his dragon (and also because Hiei ate said dragon). Then, the demon gave the old team a threat before passing out.

Kuwabara's eyes slid over to Captain Otake who was covering his mustache with a glare, just daring Kuwabara to laugh. Kuwabara's lips curled up in tired amusement. He was ready to howl, but what came out was a choked sigh.

Yue stepped in beside Kuwabara and decided to explain. Kuwabara's mind was dreary and he was ready to turn in to sleep in the hard beds at the marked outpost they were settling in for the night. Still, he continued to stand there to make sure everything was explained. He was the highest and that made him the team leader.

"He was tall, but since he never set foot on the ground, I could only give a rough estimate of his height." Yue glanced sideways at Kuwabara and nodded. "He's a good foot taller than Kuwabara for a better picture. He had tribal tattoos down the length of his arms. He had this metal plate on one shoulder that was strapped to him and insignia of a what appeared to be a blurred mark, maybe something that would have passed for a shadow. He had amber eyes and a huge mane of brown hair," Yue nodded to himself. "He, and the others, didn't give off an unusual amount of energy. Even if they were hiding it, they were extremely weak against us, which was apparent within the first ten seconds of fighting. We tried to bring in the unconscious bandits, but they exploded. We saw the leader ride off after each bandit was gone."

Otake turned to Hiei with his bushy frown. Not bothered in the slightest by the description, Hiei crossed his arms. "You're describing a former Wolf Clan group. They were a famous bandit group, but the true leader is rumored to have died several decades ago. If he had indeed been alive and running that group, you would not have been speaking to me." Kuwabara bowed his head at Hiei's words in a sort of silent gratitude to whatever deities were watching over them. "By your description, that leader must be one of his many offspring and not a very intelligent one if he led an attack with no purpose. Self-exlpoding was one of their group's talents should they have been captured. It was in place to keep their secrets safe." Hiei eyed him darkly. "It is not unusual."

"But," asked Kuwabara, as he knew it was hanging at the end of Hiei's sentence.

"He could be throwing us off guard even further and merely testing your group's strength. He might be scoping out for any other teams, but it is nothing but assumptions on our end." Hiei was done speaking and looked at Otake to end the conversation. "Do as you have and proceed with caution. Prepare the files of this attack and send it off. There is nothing more we can do about this group unless we have further information of their intentions. I wouldn't be surprised if they, and other groups, don't start tailing the teams. Curiosity was bound to come into play."

Turning away now, Hiei headed for the door. Hiei didn't look like Yukina, save for the familiar colored eyes, but just the sight of him made Kuwabara think of his wife. No, Kuwabara wasn't sick enough to picture Hiei as a girl (he had done that once and it wasn't a pretty sight). He just missed home, his love, and friends, which was why he called out to the demon in a desperate yell.

"Hiei!"

Hiei didn't stop walking and Kuwabara sighed when the door closed.

Given the circumstances, his meeting with Hiei hadn't been too bad. It wasn't a complete silent treatment, but when had Hiei ever greeted him warmly or made idle chit-chat?

However, Kuwabara didn't think all was forgiven in this argument between the two siblings and he would forever be involved in it, as they were related. They were both tied to the same woman. He didn't know how to resolve the conflict in their family, but talking to his brother-in-law (he cringed a bit) was out of the question since the demon couldn't stand him. Maybe he was going to have talk to another that was just sitting on the side lines watching the awkward fight between two demons. She might be able to help him coax the two demons into being together again.

But for now, sleep. Kuwabara wanted to kick back in a bed, scratch his balls, and sleep until it was time to move out again.

* * *

'_The only toy I'll give you is your squawking boy toy. Take him before I change my mind in letting you go_.'

"I can't believe he called me a toy when I was standing right there," Kenji sat down in a chair with a snort.

Kenji was still fuming over Hiei's rude words when we had left Hakone hours ago. Luckily, Kenji hadn't heard about my request for my weapons and only the jibe at his relationship to me from Hiei's perspective. Spluttering, Kenji had rushed in to the kitchen to shake a finger at Hiei, but without even sparing Kenji glance, Hiei left for work.

Knowing we had three days now before moving into the house, I decided to take up the task of buying furnishings for our home. The only items I was taking from home were my clothes, computer, books, and desk. The rest of my furniture was going to be given to one of Keiko's young co-workers. Keiko had tried to give the items away at no cost, because the young woman was just starting off in her career and was low on the pay roster, but the lady had refused to be a charity case. I wished the young woman would have accepted Keiko's offer, but they had worked out the issue. I wasn't going to worry about some stranger. It was her choice if she chose to pay for the items.

Normally, Keiko would have accompanied me, but given her state, and her office hours, she was unavailable. She tried to call in to work until I stopped her, knowing that being on her feet all day would wear her out. Work would be better for her because she would have a seat near her at all times. In her place, was Kenji, who was all smiles about, not shopping, but the fact that he would have a hand in spending Hiei's money. He was also excited about picking out the couch, stating that he wanted something comfy to sit on when he came over for his many visits.

Taking a seat beside Kenji, I stared around at all the couches, loveseats, beds, tables, and many others that was making my head spin. We had been walking around the store for an entire hour in a daze at what to buy. Even if Kenji wanted to blow up the card, he was a guy that paid little to no attention to shopping. I was in a similar situation.

Despite being a girl that should be excited about decorating a house, I was swamped with bewilderment at where to start. It wasn't that I didn't like shopping, because I did enjoy it at times, but it wasn't something I did often, and very rarely, on my own. I just never had access for the funds to splurge on items. While clothes shopping, Keiko and Valon had both been there to pick out the outfits, or at least, hold them up for my inspection and give sound opinions, but this time, I was without that guidance.

Right now, all I really wanted to do was either spend some alone time with Hiei or train with my equipment. Currently, both of those options were out of the question.

Sitting back in the new armchair, I gazed up at the clean, crisp ceiling above us, wishing for that surge of adrenaline a woman, having obtained her dream house, would have and go flashing my card around for all to see. All I had was a stuffed stomach from the large breakfast this morning and my best friend with the same bloated belly that he kept patting at intervals.

However, I did have a duty to make the house appear presentable. I didn't want it to be filled with mismatched furniture and poorly coordinated color schemes. I wanted it to be nice looking like Keiko's house with matching pieces and soft painted walls. Why couldn't there be a catalog in this store where I can just find a theme, pick it, and have someone fix it up that way? The process would be faster and moving in would be a breeze.

"We're horrible designers," I remarked grumpily.

Crossing his arms behind his head, Kenji nodded. "I think we just ate too much. Man, my stomach hurts. I got to loosen my belt some more. It's cutting into my belly." With that, he reached for his belt.

"That, too," I agreed with a grimace.

I debated on calling a female friend, but there was only Yukina and Shizuru, and no matter who I called, they would both come to help. Normally, I'd love their company, but I was still unprepared for Yukina's company, as I knew she would want to talk about Hiei. She would have some questions that I would have no answers for.

It was as we were both lounging in our chairs that a slender man in a suit with warm green eyes and stylish spiked blonde hair appeared to smile down at us.

"Let me guess," the man held a finger to his chin in exaggerated thought. "First time decorating a house?"

The man had a cheery french accent, but was speaking in perfect English. It was something I noted because everyone around me, besides Valon, spoke Japanese. A few times, Kenji and I conversed in English if we were trying to exchange secrets, but that was about it for my native tongue. I twisted the communication ring around my thumb and gave a nod.

The stranger, who had a hint of feminine attractiveness to him, just in the way he was fashionably dressed in a clean, straight suit, frowned. "Do you speak English, darling? I just assumed because..."

At his questionably gaze, I knew he was referring to my appearance. "Yes, I do speak English and as for your earlier question," I visibly sagged my shoulders. "We are new at decorating a house and I just don't know where to start."

Holding his hands up, the man smiled kindly. "Not to worry, not to worry. Normally," he looked around, but finding no one watching us, continued. "I'm not supposed to expose my talents here, but I am an interior decorator. I have a small office and you," he pointed at me,"look to be just dreadfully stressed, darling. I can take care of you. I know exactly how you are feeling." He gave a sympathetic sigh in Kenji's direction. "Husbands just don't get the importance of a beautiful home and leave it all up to the woman."

Kenji blushed and shook his hands wildly before him. "Hey, I'm not her husband! I'm just the best friend!"

The man rolled his eyes, "even worse."

For some reason, I laughed at that while Kenji narrowed his eyes in confusion. He didn't know what to make of that comment and for that matter, neither did I, but it was uttered in a jaunty voice.

"You can help me?" I asked with a surge of hope.

"Yes, I can."

"Who are you?" Kenji lifted a brow and heaved himself out of his chair.

"I am a man." The stranger placed a hand against his chest and grinned. "Call me Gaston," he purred proudly. Bending down, he reached for my hand and helped me from my seat. "Why don't we head to my office, my lady?"

Feeling a surge of trust from this bright individual, I settled my hand into the crook of Gaston's arm and Kenji fell into step beside me with his hands shoved in his pockets, wondering at this unusual person.

As it turned out, Gaston was going to save the day.

* * *

A/N: "That awkward moment when your chair makes a farting noise and you can't make the noise again to prove you didn't fart" - Lol, I got that from some site. I thought it was funny because its true. If you want, you can finish my chapter's title with something witty. I like laughing! It helps me relax!

Also, I did something different in this chapter than in all the other chapters. You'll never guess. :3 The house described here is akasoeki's dream house. It's so pretty. She sent me a model from the Sims. Thanks, Ali, for the house and beta-reading! Gaston is that big beefy dude from Beauty and the Beast, right? I can't remember. Anyways, thanks for reading! Love you guys and I hope you are well. See you next Thursday!

Also, I have a deviant art page. Link in profile if you are interested.


	44. Sweep Out The Ashes, Bring In The Fire

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Four: Sweep Out The Ashes, Bring In The Fire

* * *

The wind was calm, resembling a cool hand that trickled slender fingers along heated skin. With these fingers, I was able to relax and allow myself to inhale properly from the frenzied run of this morning. Narrowing my eyes in thought, I stood poised upon a branch and listened to the noises of the forest. I was trying to meditate, searching for the serenity in my world.

_'The greatest amount of concentration comes from extreme focus, when one has crossed the line that blurs from the world to separate one's mind against life – reality – and allows for a shield to develop.'_

Lena's words swirled within my mind. I had yet to reach that level through meditation, even though the tiring hands of my mind stretched forth to pull a shield near enough to provide protection. The extent of this protection was weak – nearly absent – but just once, did it appear to help. Crimson eyes had pierced through the darkness, narrowed in fury, and demanded that I lower myself into a pit full of snakes.

Snakes were my greatest fear until those eyes – a beautiful, haunting fire – made me realize that if those eyes were to harden in even an inch of disappointment, then snakes would resemble a blade of grass in comparison.

I had no powers. My sisters, the women trapped in this curse where the universe depended on our souls to help uphold the world when night was too heavy, had gifts. They had unique abilities that left me outcast. In a way, I felt like I was that odd person hanging on the sidelines, the kid that was chosen last for a team.

I'd thought so, anyway, until Lena revealed a talent, or rather, that lame gift that no one wants. If I had accompanied Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz, and we were receiving our gifts from Oz, I would have been given the bag. No, I shook my head. Oz would have tipped the bag over and shook out the linen dregs of the sack into my cupped hands. He might have smiled, patted my head, and bid farewell, while I gazed up at him in exhausted horror at the outcome of the long journey through fields of singing midgets and flying monkeys, only to receive dregs.

That was how amazing my talent was.

I had the ability to know when to trust an individual, but Lena had extended my ability into feeling the goodness. I could detect any smidgen, even if it was a blot on paper, within a person's heart. She had gathered such a notion from my confrontation with Takeo, from Kenji's story about my belief in Hokushin's words the first time we had met, and even as far as detecting that unrelenting trust I placed in Hiei. I had frowned at her latter example, because Lena seemed, for some strange reason, to turn her nose up at my relationship with Hiei. I didn't understand it.

But just about everyone turned their nose up at my relationship with him. It was nothing new.

Shaking my head, I brushed away my wayward thoughts and focused on my one talent.

Yes, I was some odd realistic Care Bear.

The only problem with my talent was that Lena reasoned it was about as extended as it could possibly be and no amount of training would strengthen it. She had advised me not to rely too heavily on my gift, because she didn't believe it was entirely accurate. Well, if anything, I could threaten a demon by saying, "stop, or I'll detect the goodness in your soul!" It might work against demons that feared good acts, stall them into disbelief. Hell, it would just give them a reason to pity me for my lame gift and walk away.

Standing at the very tip of a branch, where it was so brittle that even a small bird could crack the limb, I swayed in the morning sun and stared down at the pond below me.

Lena informed me that if one had enough focus, he or she could do the impossible. She had given me several examples: someone able to thrust their hand into a flame and withstand the heat without so much as a tiny singe, a monk sitting cross-legged above a sharpened dagger, or a woman running atop broken glass without making a sound.

Because Lena had me up in trees for three months, I had become acclimated to balancing on even the smallest of branches. Eventually, I did surpass that one million mark that she had set. Afterwards, she had me doing headstands until my head pounded from the blood rush. This act of balancing, which most likely chased away a tenth of my clumsiness, was a part of my focus.

Sighing, I chewed on my lower lip. I wished that I could walk through fire, or, as I thought while staring down at the backyard pond below me, on water. I'd be wading day and night, gloating about my ability to glide across the elemental surface.

When my stomach growled, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a plastic packaged pastry. The snack was kind of smashed from being crammed in my pocket, but I doubt the sweet's lumpy state would thwart its taste. Carefully, I unwrapped the glazed bun and nibbled on the end in deep thought.

I was halfway through my deformed pastry when a loud voice cut through the air to scatter the birds up into the air with squawks of distress.

"Karen!"

It was Yusuke!

I had to think quickly, because if he found me up in the tree, standing against the slight breeze, he would question how I was able to balance upon the limb while eating. His footsteps were loud. He was stomping through the bushes and I could see his black hair through the thick, heavily laden branches that kept me from sight. There was no time to climb down. Calculating the time I had before he arrived – no less than a couple of seconds – I loosened my muscles and fell forward.

Instead of the ground catching me, the pond embraced my body. I heard the water splash high around me. The water was chilled from the morning air and my lungs constricted at the abrupt feeling. A dozen bubbles burst from my mouth and I kicked my legs into action. Breaking the surface, a series of coughs wracked my body. With my eyes closed, to keep the dirty water from irritating my eyeballs, I waded forward blindly.

"What stupid thing did you do to get in there?" asked Yusuke with exasperation.

I didn't have time to answer, as I fell onto my knees into the muddy water. Two hands went under my armpits and dragged me out roughly. Grimacing, I spat out a mouthful of water. Ew. I think some type of moss was among my spittle.

Remembering Yusuke's question, I grinned sheepishly. "I was just – you see, there was this rock and I didn't see it. I tripped."

"Far enough to get out to the middle?"

There was no surprise in his voice. His tone was relaxed and tired. Yusuke had witnessed enough of my clumsy acts that nothing surprised him anymore. A pity that he couldn't see the graceful way I was eating up in the leafy canopy.

"Well, I was running when it happened and must have flew in my haste!" Before I had finished explaining, he was already nodding. He had heard similar stories.

Yusuke picked a large, tattered, lily pad off my head and flung it back into the water with a twisted lip. Glancing down, I stared at my unfinished pastry that now sat, soggy and fat, within its opened packaging. I turned it over and allowed the water to drain before taking my snack out. Bringing it up to my face, I frowned. Nah, I thought. No matter how delicious it was, I wasn't going to eat it. I sighed heavily because wasting food was a crime in my world.

"What's up," I asked, ignoring the way he was frowning down at me.

Yusuke's face crumbled in disgust. "Were you going to eat that?"

Squishing the snack within my fist, I yelled, defensively, "no!"

Since my basketball shorts, borrowed from Kenji but never given back, were soaked anyways, I dumped my snack into the pocket. The knee-length shorts were sagging from my waist and I tightened the drawstring. It was uncomfortable to walk, but I waddled up the trail back to the house with Yusuke at my side.

"Oh, right," murmured Yusuke. "Keiko said you have that appointment with some dude named Gaston in Tokyo?"

"What time is it?"

He checked his watch. "Nearly eight-thirty –"

Eyes widening, I set off into a waddling jog that resembled an odd skip with the heaviness of my drenched clothing and squishy shoes. "Damn –" I shot him a hurried look at my blurted curse, but with Keiko not around, Yusuke just shrugged. "I'm going to be late!"

Hurrying to the house, Yusuke unwound the water hose from the back and turned the nozzle on full blast. Squealing against the fridgid temperature of the water, I spun quickly as he sprayed off the scum from the pond. I think he enjoyed dousing me in water too much because he kept saying 'what was that?' after I had screamed at him to stop for five minutes straight.

I had to spend an extra amount of time in the shower because after the hour run in the forest and falling into a frog infested pond, the odor coming off of me was horrible. My funk had offended Keiko. She did try to kiss me before going to work but ended up hurrying off to the bathroom to deliver her breakfast. Yusuke, who must be used to horrendous smells, just asked if I wanted the last of the orange juice with my breakfast. Not really hungry, and running behind on my schedule, I told him to save it for Kenji for when he arrived.

Once I was cleaned of the pond scum and smelling like Jasmine, the body wash Keiko tossed into the bathroom before she left (how kind!), I dashed into my bedroom.

Today, with all the painting and wallpaper work done by Gaston's superb team, I was to shop for furniture at several stores.

I couldn't imagine someone designing houses or events for a living, but Gaston enjoyed his dream job. He had a way of explaining things in that marvelous accent of his, twisting his words into my ears until they painted images before my eyes. The two women, his faithful employees (I think one was in love with him, but Gaston had a boyfriend), were extremely helpful in adding vibrant conversations and suggestions. Kenji, my best friend, would slouch away to hit on the countless females that browsed through the stores.

In this world – every world – money was power. I had no idea how much was on the card Hiei provided, but each transaction went through with the ease of breathing. Everywhere I went, my small army followed with uplifted chins, as if I were royalty. I felt like some sort of princess, gracing the stores with my presence.

At first I was judged, especially within the more extravagant shops. I thought I had dressed nicely enough, but maybe I was too easy on my attire. I had gone for the simple ease of comfort, rather than layered in exhausting fabrics. It could be my age. They must be pondering if I was a joke to be strutting up into their fancy store to idly browse through their selection of furniture.

Then, Gaston would speak vibrantly and loudly, practically whipping them into a respectful manner until the suspicious glares left each face. For extra proof of my honesty in being able to pay them, I'd pat my wallet with a nervous smile – and it worked. The managers and workers dropped everything, seeming to sense the power emitting from the hidden tiny, proxy card within my violet wallet with flowers on the cover. Maybe they could smell money, because just that nervous pat would have them come running up to us with stretched smiles and eager eyes, appearing like a pack of feral animals.

I wasn't sure if I liked people kissing up to me, knowing it was just money they were after, but Gaston was firm in reasoning with every manager that tried to outplay me. Without him, I'm positive that these animals would have attacked me with howling laughter. Shopping was easy, in that all I had to do was point at the set of furniture I wanted among the displays they set up for my private viewing. But sometimes, one or two of the managers would be hovering at my elbow, asking every minute if there was something that I needed. Unsure of how to handle the attention, I simply tried to pass such eager workers over to Gaston, even Kenji if he was nearby, (He was mostly trying to smooth talk the young women in the store).

Late in the afternoon, after visiting one last store on Gaston's list, I was ready to find something to eat. We had worked through lunch in order to meet our deadline and I was famished, as my pathetic breakfast was ruined by the pond this morning.

Walking through the doors of a particularly high-class looking building, Gaston flagged down a young saleslady. "Yes, my lovely client here has an appointment with a Mr. Mitsuya."

I watched Gaston walk away to fetch the manager.

"My ass says this is too springy," commented Kenji when he dragged me over to a teal looking couch with oddly shaped cushions.

"Oh," I folded my arms across my chest. "Now you decide to help me."

"Hey! I was, you know, trying to work some magic."

"Did you pull any rabbits out of your hat, or did you release a few moths," I teased in reference to his flirting methods.

"As a matter of fact," he reached into his pocket, "I did pull a rabbit out of my hat. Look at these digits." He handed me a slip of paper with bold numbers written in bright pink. "Y-e-a-h," he gave a dreary whistle, "after all that work today and all I got was one woman's interest."

Handing him back the woman's cell number, I patted him on the shoulder. "I bet she's the one."

"I bet she's got a husband."

"What?" I asked in response to his mumbling.

"Nothing, nothing," he shushed away his muttering with a large hand and stood to his feet. "So, a couch for me and a couch for you, and a hard ass couch for the demon."

"Kenji!"

At my pointed look, he slung an arm around my shoulders and led me over to a huge, wrap-around mustard-looking couch. "You know you love me," he said in apology. "How about this beast, right here?"

"As handsome as you are, I'm afraid that type of seating would clash with the theme we've got going, right, Miss Karen?" Gaston appeared behind us and next to him was a man. He was a good inch shorter than Kenji, but with broad shoulders and ebony colored eyes. His carefully gelled hair, which was fixed to appear stylish in short spikes, but not overdone to appear unprofessional, glinted in the lighting.

"Miss Karen, this is Mr. Mitsuya."

Smiling at the young man, I extended my hand to him with a cheery, "good afternoon!"

Mr. Mitsuya caught my hand with a partially opened mouth and widened eyes. "Karen, is that you?"

I peered up into the man's face and frowned, not recognizing him, even if he was staring down at me with awe. "I'm sorry, but I don't..."

He appeared a tad crestfallen, but kept his grin in place. "We talked for hours at the wedding reception."

Bizarrely, a lamp zooming across a rounded table flashed before my eyes and I gasped. "L-Lee?"

"No way," breathed Kenji, who was sizing up Lee with a lifted brow. "You know him?"

My face flushed with acute embarrassment at forgetting someone's name, but I truly did not remember talking for hours with Lee. I do remember meeting him and sitting at the same table, but the events later that night chased Lee's face away from my mind. I made to pull my hand away from Lee until he curled his fingers gently to keep my hand in place.

"Ah, is this," Lee gave Kenji a fake smile, but the corner of his lips were tightened, "the boyfriend you mentioned?"

I frowned. Didn't he remember Hiei that night – oh, wait! Lee had been attacked with a lamp that, if I had watched more closely, had to be Hiei's work. Also, Lee had been drinking quite a bit that night and his memory seemed warped.

Kenji was always being mistaken as my boyfriend, because we went everywhere together, and with a sigh, Kenji dropped his arm from my shoulders to hold his hand out to Lee. "Nah, I'm just a friend. Moto, Kenji."

With my hand free, I glanced from each of the men's faces. Kenji was gazing fondly at the orange couch. Gaston was staring at Lee with a knowing grin. And, strangely enough, Lee was watching me intensely.

"I think it would be an excellent idea for you two to catch up, while we," Gaston grabbed Kenji firmly by the arm, jerking my friend from his stupor, "finish setting up the display for Miss Karen!"

I watched, unable to move, as my mind was reeling at the abandonment of my friends. My throat worked to call back for Kenji, to stay with me, but he was completely focused on choosing a decent couch. He's doing it again, I thought traitorously. Kenji was abandoning me in my time of need!

Lee's grinning face, which I'm sure was charming for most women, because he was a handsome man, blocked out the withdrawal of my friends' retreating figures. "Karen, I thought I would never see you again. A horrible mistake on my part," his lips perked up at the ends into a sorrowful smile, "to lose track of such a magnificent woman."

I didn't know how to handle his compliment – any compliment – because I was given few, especially from men. My lips lifted into an uneasy grin.

When Lee moved forward to give me a hug, my body went into this weird wriggling dance of trying to avoid his arms in discretion. I almost managed to duck beneath his outstretched arms, but with a laugh, he caught me around the head. Maybe he was somewhat embarrassed at our odd positions with him holding my head rather than my body, because he gave a nervous chuckle and patted my head.

Awkward...

"That night," Lee pulled away and shook his head, "I just had to leave because of the lighting problem, but I went back later, because I forgot to get your number." His eyes dimmed with his words. "By then, my Cinderella was gone."

Giggling uncomfortably at his choice of words, I stepped away to create some space between us and folded my arms. "Uh, Lee?" He eagerly awaited my words. "Didn't you remember my... boyfriend that night? You met him before you left."

Lee's eyes dimmed in thought, his mind trying to recall our night together, and after a few seconds, some recognition glimmered to the surface. "Yes, I remember him, but I didn't think you two were very close." Lowering his eyelids and bowing his head, he murmured softly, almost in a crooning way, "your attention was entirely on me that night."

No! I had been furious at Hiei that night!

I opened my mouth to correct him until he lifted my hand up and kissed the back of it, saying softly, "I'm glad you remembered where I worked! Your decorator informed me of your recent purchase of a house – you're looking for living area furnishes today, am I correct?" He folded my hand into the crook of his arm, much like Gaston did, but with Lee, my hand felt trapped there against my will. "This is my father's store, but, like I told you that night, I manage it."

It wasn't until the purchase was made that I realized Gaston's intentions for leaving me with Lee, because Lee gave me a considerable discount on everything. Gaston was practically beaming with his devious ways, and to ensure it was a done deal, left me with Lee while he discussed when the movers would be picking up the furniture. Kenji was lounging in the couch he had chosen with a satisfied smile, leaving me to walk uncomfortably with Lee around his store.

"Thank you, again, for your help." I gave Lee a small smile. He really did help us and my budget was met with cheers from Gaston's team.

Dressed handsomely in a navy, blue suit, Lee would be a good catch for a woman looking for a kind and cheery man, but sadly, that woman wasn't me. Thinking of Hiei, I wondered if he would be home soon.

"Thank you for making my day," he countered, giving one of his corny sentences. Unlike last time, when he had been under the influence of alcohol, Lee knew the nature of his lame one-liner because he had a merry twinkle in his eyes.

Maybe it was the entire day of shopping, being judged by strangers wondering where I had obtained my fortune, and just the fatigue of life, but with his words, and Lee's honest expression, a little laugh escaped from my lips.

"See," he stared down at me with an amused grin, "I knew there was a pretty laugh inside you, but you hid it from me that night."

Clearing my throat and noting the time on the far off clock, I glanced up at Lee. "I should leave you... to your work."

"Yes." Lee sighed dramatically. "You'll be disappearing from my life again, but," he slipped a card from a pocket within his suit jacket. "Take my card." Blinking, I stared down at the card in my hand. "Also, may I have your number?"

"I have a boyfriend."

"A boyfriend isn't permanent."

Licking my lips, I mimicked his sigh from earlier. "Lee, you're a very kind man, but I will not take this." I handed him back his card.

Instead of taking the card back, Lee wrapped a hand around my wrist and leaned forward to kiss my cheek. Jerking away to avoid the incoming lips, I crashed into a hard plane of muscle. Lee's hand released my wrist and he straightened, appearing for the entire world, a threatened animal. A glance over my shoulder revealed the reason for his sudden behavior.

"Hello," I greeted in a somewhat confused tone at the sight of Hiei's face. "I thought you said you were going to call me when you got off?"

Flashing me a quick, hardened look, Hiei said, in soft aggravation, "I did." A good deal taller than Lee, Hiei stared the man down, not in a glare, but with a vicious gleam in his eyes. That sort of look had men like Jet cowering. "Busy, were you?" he asked me without looking away from Lee.

Before I could answer, Lee pasted on a quick smile and held his hand out for a cold greeting to Hiei. "I'm the manager here, Mitsuya, Lee, and you are... a friend of Karen's?"

Hiei gave Lee's hand a look of contempt disgust. At Lee's question, Hiei corrected it with, "husband."

Eyes widening, Lee took a step away. He glanced down at me with horror, as if I were a disease. I was no longer appealing to him, but now, some type of crap he had trodden on outside. "I apologize for my mistake – I didn't see a ring." Lee's eyes strayed to my left hand, clearly checking for the evidence of a marriage. Finding nothing, he shook his head before blurting out, "she told me you were her boyfriend... I should have known it was too good to be true," he whispered the last of his sentence to himself.

"Is that so?" It may have been uttered as a question, but Hiei's voice was laced with venom, a hint of a scolding, and I avoided his eyes.

"I-I –" Lee swept a hand through his hair. "I think I see a customer needing assistance. Please, have a good evening and I hope you enjoyed your experience with us today." Bowing hastily, he turned and walked away so quickly, he nearly bowled over one of his precious customers.

From beside me, there was a raspy chuckle given without humor and peering up at Hiei, I asked, "what?"

"I didn't think I was something as mundane as – what was it," he asked mockingly, "a 'boyfriend'?"

I brushed away a loose strand of hair. "This marriage is a sham," I explained quietly in answer to his angered question of being referred to as a basic companion in a relationship.

"I expected you to regard the paperwork as absolute truth."

Running on low fuel from an empty stomach, I was somewhat cranky. I turned my head away to admire a nearby coffee table. "What was that you said yesterday?" I asked in an attempt for my own mockery. "_'It's just paperwork'._"

"Really?" He eyed Lee from across the room with a smirk. "That explains why you've given yourself free reign to play it up with any boy giving you a passing glance."

Wrinkling my nose, I crossed my arms. He actually thinks that I was flirting with Lee? Did he not see the way I was struggling to free myself from that man? I narrowed my eyes, deciding to agree to rile up his anger even more, because the idea of me flirting with another man was ridiculous.

"Funny, I didn't think Lee was a boy."

His jaw tightened. "Karen, don't test me."

"Fine, but you didn't have to bring my looks into it, too." I pointed out to his earlier statement, as he made me sound desperate for any amount attention. "If I'm unattractive, just say it! Nothing's stopped you from being blunt before!"

This time, he did laugh, but I didn't think his laughter could ever be joyous and free. It whispered up into the air to further enrage me.

"Hiei," I hissed, growing angrier by the minute.

Resuming his cold attitude, he reached for my left hand. "What exactly do you want to further convince you that, in this world, you are mine?" he asked, ignoring my earlier statements concerning my appearance. "You want know why I won't let you out on your own," he questioned lowly, waiting until an elderly woman passed us. "It's because you've unknowingly created competition for me and as much as I'd like to, I can't very well eliminate these human idiots following you around. Instead, I have to play by this world's rules, and that involves your assistance in alerting every male that comes near you that you belong to me."

"What idiots?" Is he saying I'm attracting male attention? I blinked. What men? There was only Lee and he was kind of creepy. Some attention.

Sighing roughly, he closed his eyes to mutter, "you naive woman." When he opened his eyes, he glared down at my hand. "I think your world's traditions are absurd. The mates in your world go through half-witted ceremonies without any true commitments to one another before scattering like a flock of birds."

He was quiet for a moment, his brows furrowed. A man strode past us, disrupting Hiei's pensive mood. I was watching Hiei's face, eyed the way his jaw tensed to regard the nearby customer with barely constrained malice. Wondering what was causing Hiei's extreme annoyance, I glanced to the side. He was a plain looking man, resembling a teacher. Unabashedly, his eyes roamed down my body and I stiffened. When he locked eyes with mine, he gave a devilish smile and I returned it with a careless turn of my head.

To anyone else, Hiei would appear calm, aloof, and indifferent, but I saw the blinding rage within his eyes.

Was he jealous?

He was, I mused.

That would explain his peevish behavior, how he shifted closer to me and kept his fingers tightly wrapped around my hand... it kind of hurt, actually.

"My claim isn't good here and I hate to stoop low enough to abide by your traditions. It's not anywhere near as permanent enough and is disregarded a majority of the time." Hiei's eyes flew back to mine, still hardened with ice. "It seems I will have to shove a ring on your finger, since you seem incapable of voicing your status as mine."

My heart did a silly dance, jumping along to some sort of eighties music. I wanted to smile and blind the world with this surge of happiness. He wanted to give me a ring, as if we were truly married. But, with that thought, the light faded. My happiness hit a wall, came to a standstill, and slapped me across the face before I could become giddy.

"I will not accept," I sighed, "any ring you give me."

He raised his eyebrow. "Why?"

I nearly asked myself that question until I realized that, no matter how much I loved him, I couldn't accept his ring.

I didn't expect to have a wedding. I wasn't the typical girl that had planned my wedding with Barbie dolls or fantasized about a dress that would make grown women cry and men snap awake from their naps.

I had accepted him in every way possible. I had accepted the house and money. I had accepted him when few people did. I never thought about marriage until recently and the idea of it, being a wife, didn't scare me – I just couldn't marry someone that didn't love me. Wedding or no, his ring would be that final tie to marriage and I was going to refuse it. My thoughts didn't saddened me. They were simply facts.

"Because in my world, marriage is different for everyone. I have my own opinion of it and to accept your ring will be a lie to myself." Tapping my foot along the ground, I glared around the store trying to appear angry to distract any further questions. "If we're done arguing, I'd really like dinner. I think I'd like to eat out tonight."

"You think we're done?"

I gave him a nasty glare.

Grunting, Hiei placed a hand at the small of my back and led me over to where Gaston was finishing the details with the store.

The argument didn't linger over our heads. I thought he would continue taunting me until he had won, but Hiei was calm as ever, seeming to have adjusted to his demon instincts of exerting dominance in everything.

I knew later he was going to fixing his mark on me, as his nose kept twitching. I think, since Lee had been, for whatever reason, smitten with me, he left a type of scent. Gaston, who had touched me constantly, wasn't interested in me in any way, thus left nothing upon my body. I think this scent concept had to do with hormones. It was kind of a nasty theory.

Throughout dinner, I mulled over our argument. I knew Hiei had spent a majority of his life on his own and had abandonment issues, which would explain his possessiveness and jealousy. Really though, he shouldn't worry that I'd leave him for someone else. I always gave him the option to leave and the only time I had said I was leaving was not to abandon him, but to be on my own for an hour or two. I found it funny that he'd even think I'd cheat on him – I mean, he was above me in every way. He was fiercely beautiful, and next to him, I was poor in comparison with my average profile.

I think, in my world, I was pretty enough. Not beautiful, just something nice. I was that type of shirt that women would say 'that's cute', but that's it. My comment to him about being unattractive was true in that I did feel unworthy, because he must have been with more vibrant and curvier woman than myself. I wasn't a stick figure. My appetite packed on some pounds, but I didn't have them balanced into the hour-glass figure. I also had that small bump of a stomach that no amount of exercise could get rid of, but one day, I'd like to think an ab or two would form, like Valon's impressive physique. The only demon woman I met (that crazy one that attacked Botan and I didn't count) was Yukina and she was breathtaking just like her brother. I knew demon women must be of a similar appearance, having that outwordly, jaw-dropping figure that men chased after with dazed expressions.

But nothing good came with dwelling on issues over appearances and I brushed away such mindless thoughts with a grimace.

Back to my earlier musings, of Hiei thinking I paid attention to other men besides him, I realized that I was going to have to fix that by showing him that everything I did was for him. It might also help me in relaxing for our first night in the new house.

I might as well try to work some charm on him tonight.

After dinner, we arrived at our soon-to-be-house. I was going to show him what Gaston's team had done and a few of the items I had bought.

The house still smelled of paint and glue, even after all the airing out from the opened windows. I thought of opening a window or two again while we were here, but I might forget to close them when we leave. The house was dark. The sun was fading and the work ladders, both tall and short, cast long shadows upon the walls. The plastic sheets crunched beneath our feet, as I led him around the rooms.

"Fall colors," I explained, suddenly timid from the feel of his eyes on me. Clearing my throat, I pointed at the huge, burgundy colors that draped to the floor. "... I wanted nature-looking colors, even though... this color," I fingered the fabric of the curtain,"isn't in nature... sort of... um, it's kind of hot in here, isn't it?"

Outside it was cool, but inside the house, I was flushed. Turning around, I met Hiei's eyes, which were bright inside the darkening room. Calmly as I could, I reached for his hand and led him to the kitchen where the stairs were located. I was trying to appear brave and seductive, but my nerves were getting the best of me.

He followed behind me up the winding staircase and his each step heightened the heat inside the house. Swallowing, I began mechanically pointing out the carpets, drapes, and paint work. He never said a word.

Coming to the bedroom, I stared at the soft silver walls. "Blue curtains," I mumbled, completely uninterested in showing off the results of my shopping anymore.

Striding past me, Hiei stared out the window opposite the door. Quietly, he observed the setting sun. Taking a deep breath, I moved toward him and tentatively wrapped my arms around his midsection.

"... aren't you going to fix your mark now?" I asked softly with my cheek pressed against his back.

"Are you trying to seduce me for your toys?"

I rolled my eyes and refrained from sighing in frustration. Always the suspicious one, I grumbled in silence. "Maybe," I lied. Forcing myself to be courageous, I slid my hands beneath the front of his shirt and traced the outline of his lowest abdominal muscles. "Is it working?"

"No."

Dropping my hands, I turned away, feigning nonchalance at trying to entice him. "Okay, let's go to the bathroom. I put curtains in there, too, and these were the sale of the century –"

He whipped me back around to him and I grinned at the action.

I wasn't sure how it happened, but we ended up on the floor. He wasn't completely on top of me, as he seemed hesitant to put any contact between us other than his lips and hands. Even the kisses seemed too short, but his hands were bunching into the fabric of my dress – a sure sign that he was fighting with himself.

Needing more contact, just his entire attention where he wasn't thinking about consequences, or his lack of control in the bedroom, I grabbed one of his hands and placed it on my lower thigh where the hem of my dress rested.

"Karen –"

"It's okay." I comforted with a nibble to his lower lip. Reaching up, I smoothed away his bangs and pinned him with a soft gaze.

Those two words must have been enough to chase away his worries of getting carried away, because he massaged the outside of my thigh and his touch caused my body to quiver. I was suddenly relieved that I was wearing a one-sleeved dress when he focused his attention on my bare shoulder. He kissed down to my collarbone before placing his teeth at the edge of the fabric above my chest to lower the top of my dress. His calloused hand worked a slow, aching magic, traveling further up my leg.

Then, he stopped.

"W-what's wrong?" I panted, my eyes fluttering open.

"What's this?"

His question confused me until he tugged at the material wrapped around my right thigh. Remembering the garter I had found in my desk (a nice touch, Valon...), I had decided to test it out just for fun before working my way up to more drastic attire. The blue garter with its floral patten in the lace was too big. It didn't fit above my knee, but higher up my leg to mid-thigh. I had forgotten about it and a blush worked its way onto my cheeks.

"... that's a... garter." Meeting his eyes, which were clouded with lust and slight confusion, I gave a nervous chuckle. "It's kind of... big. It doesn't fit right, but I was just – I thought it would be n-nice to wear or something?"

Hiei tilted his head, eyes pinned to the garter with interest. "Silly human attire," he responded dryly. "I imagine it's mine if I take it off?" I thought he was finished talking until he pushed himself up into a sitting position slightly between my legs. He placed his right hand above the garter and wrapped his other hand around my calf. Leaning down, he captured the band between his teeth, saying roughly, "like this?"

I didn't know how to respond. My mind was numbly watching him, as he slid the band away, moving slowly. With each centimeter of the garter's movement, the higher he lifted my leg, his hand moving down to wrap around my ankle for a better grip. I was gasping at the sensation of his teeth. His eyes remained locked with mine, dark and intense, gleaming wickedly within the shadows of the room.

Hiei kept the garter between his teeth when it was removed. Releasing his hold on my leg, he moved back over me and dropped the band onto my chest. There must have been a certain look in my eye, because he responded to it, not with a wild kiss, one of lust that tasted of smoke, but by pushing himself up. My eyes widened and I hurried to pull him back down, trapping him more firmly against me.

"Karen, that's enough for tonight," he commanded firmly, but it was a lie from his physical needs. I could hear it in his voice. His eyes were swimming with hunger, betraying the sudden coldness in his tone.

"But I," I searched my feverish mind for the right words. "But I – I won't stop you! We have time..."

"I know." Skimming his hand down my left side, he angled his head to my ear to capture my earlobe. "But taking you on the floor isn't what you or I –"

"No, I do want –"

He silenced me with a quick kiss. "Don't," Hiei warned.

Sighing, I glared at the garter sitting on my heaving chest. "... you didn't take it off the other leg."

"I'm sure if you could, you'd have that itchy thing wrapped around your body."

Taking the hand he offered to help me up, I balled up the blue band with a grimace. The garter wasn't strong enough to sway Hiei. He was too powerful in controlling his instincts now while my body was all strung up with heat and need.

Before we left the house, I decided to ask my nightly question.

"Can I have my stuff back?"

"Do you have to ask that every night? It's becoming an annoying routine."

"I figured that if I ask enough, you'll eventually cave in and give them back."

"Nice logic."

"... I might not have asked tonight if we had –"

"Karen."

"We didn't even do anything!"

Hands on the steering wheel, Hiei turned his head to give me a furious warning glare. I cleared my throat and buckled my seat belt.

"Okay, I'll stop." Narrowing my eyes, I crossed my arms.

For tonight, I added silently.

* * *

"Well, Hiei," greeted Kurama with a welcoming grin. "It's not like you to pay a visit these days."

"Your acting is terrible. It's almost as bad as Karen's." Hiei answered in response to Kurama's overly exaggerated grin. He strode past Kurama and entered the apartment. "You caught my energy miles away, so don't act so surprise."

"There was a time I thought of taking up acting," explained Kurama for his reason of being dramatically caught off guard by Hiei's presence.

"Or being, what was it, a hair model?"

Kurama quirked a brow at the demon. He hadn't seen Hiei for many months and within that time, the demon seemed to have changed.

Yes, the demon had changed from the once small demon he knew. Back then, Hiei had been cold and distrusting, just an odd individual to read with his own unique honor code that only his friends (comrades as Hiei would put it) could decipher. He had lightened over the years, approached a certain peace, and adapted to Human World in order to live here as comfortably as possible whenever he decided to shadow Yukina. Kurama had taught Hiei the language and how this world worked until he was able to walk casually throughout the streets. Hiei was a fast learner, what with his Jagan to help speed along studies, allowing the demon to easily adapt to any region.

Then, and Kurama wasn't sure when exactly it happened, Hiei shrank back into the shadows and disappeared for many months at time. The demon had changed rapidly, both physically and mentally. But, one day, Hiei left, not just for months, half a year – no, he disappeared completely.

It must have been two years before Kurama next saw Hiei.

-Flashback-

Shouldering his door open, Kurama swept a hand through his hair, flicking rainwater from his locks. They should make umbrellas more bulbous, or maybe, Kurama thought, he should start wearing a hat. Of course, umbrellas would only work for rain that fell straight down to the ground, but against rain that was windswept, the device was useless.

Contrary to what people, his friends- and yes, now the students he was teaching- thought, Kurama was greatly annoyed by many things. Wet hair was at the top of that list. His hair was thick and took ages to dry. Why not use a blow dryer, one might question? It wasn't a guy issue, because the logic of using a blow dryer to speed up the drying process far outweighed the risk of harming his manly image. No, the reason why he went without using the device was because he hated wires. Having kept one before, he had always ended up caught among the wire. One morning, while late for school, he had somehow managed to get the cord knotted up from his careless usage of it, and being a rather grumpy person in the morning without tea or coffee, he had sworn off blow dryers forever.

Wires were everywhere in life. They were always getting tangled and never stayed in place, seeming to have a mind of their own. He especially hated the computer he had, with it's cords pooled down to the floor. There were also the matter of his speakers, his printer, his scanner, etc.

Normally, he didn't like clouding up his life with technology, but the devices made his job go much more smoothly.

Kurama had pushed through his education quickly after he had left Demon World, where he had left his demon self behind, putting his past behind him, and instead, learning to embrace his more humane side. No, he could never leave Yoko. He was Yoko, but after that tournament, Kurama had decided to live his life here in Human World, where he knew he belonged.

He advanced quickly through his studies and now, and being a student botany teacher something he greatly enjoyed, he was enjoying life. He did miss the excitement of fighting and using his mind to work through situations, but knowing there was peace and seeing how life moved forth quietly, he had become accustomed to being a lazy human.

I should probably consider a laptop, mused Kurama when he shook off his coat and hung it on the coat rack. You ancient thing, he frowned down at the large monitor, but nowhere near as ancient as my inner self.

It was as he was staring down at his computer, that he caught the scent of a demon within his apartment. Kurama still did work for Spirit World, easy stuff of hunting a low-class demon that wasn't playing by the rules in Human World, but his abilities were weaker now. He really needed to keep them more in use, sharpen his senses like a blade, but life for him was too comfortable these days.

Sniffing, Kurama caught the scent again and his eyes narrowed. He knew this scent. It was smoky with the hint of the wild scents of Demon World's forests. His mind searched for the familiar name that belonged to the unique odor.

When he crept closer, moving carefully within his darkened apartment, his eyes lit up in recognition.

"Hiei."

The living room lights were off, but the lightning flickering outside pierced through the apartment's blinds and lit up a tall figure stretched out upon the window seat. At first, Kurama was unsure if this figure was Hiei. The demon had the smell and the way he was sitting, one leg raised and an arm resting atop it, was Hiei's habitual sitting pose, but the demon had grown... greatly.

Kurama should have expected Hiei to be taller. The same growth spurt had happened to Yukina a while back and had astounded everyone, especially Kuwabara. It seems the siblings were resembling their people's height, but to see Hiei, much taller now, even sitting, was somewhat intimidating. He wasn't use to it. His more primal side, where Yoko rested, stirred slightly, and he wanted to bring out his whip, bare his teeth and growl, but he refrained.

"You've weakened," Hiei rasped, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time. It was low, a whisper, but the familiar baritone carried his words across the room easily enough.

"I was pondering that same observation." Kurama studied Hiei's profile, but the demon kept his face turned away, staring out the window where he had pulled up the blinds to view the storm raging outside. "It comes from easy living."

There was something off about Hiei, but it had been two years since they had last spoken. Kurama, known for making sound judgments in milliseconds, forced himself to keep from jumping to conclusions. He tried – a second, two, a full minute – but there was something dark in his apartment, a scent like death. Yes, that was it, and it burned his nostrils.

Kurama wondered if something had happened to have caused this change he was now feeling in the demon's aura. He was once a friend, a close comrade that he could trust his life with, but now a stranger sat within his living room. And there was Yoko, trying to bare its teeth at the hostile aura, only there was nothing menacing about Hiei. The demon was just cold, very cold, and that smell of death, putrid and thick, hung in the air to remind both Kurama and Yoko of where he had caught this particular scent before during his travels.

As Kurama was standing there, calm on the outside, but braced stiffly on the inside, one question whispered up to him.

Should he worry that he could feel this darkness, smell the scent, and nearly taste it, without having looked into Hiei's eyes?

"It's been a long time, Hiei. Yukina asks about you." Nothing. Not even a tilt of his head to show that Hiei was listening, but Kurama continued. "I tried to contact you, but Mukuro said you had left her services."

...

Kurama was uneasy at the silence, but not afraid. "It's unlike you to be this quiet Hiei. What brings you here?"

"Are you threatened by me?"

The question rang in the air and Yoko growled at it. Narrowing his eyes, Kurama asked calmly, "should I be?"

...

"What's happened to you?" Kurama almost asked 'who are you', but he knew this was Hiei. The aroma of burning cedar lingered among the other odorous scent to speak for Hiei's true identiy.

The rain outside stopped and, unfolding himself from the seat, Hiei stood, displaying his full height and Kurama froze. He was taller than Kurama, but shorter than Kuwabara. Still, the height was impressive for someone that was once under five feet. There was a flickering thought, just mindless curiosity, of who Hiei and Yukina might look like, and if either one of the demons resembled their father. If so, Kurama imagined he wouldn't have liked to run into such a demon late at night.

Finally, Hiei turned and Kurama's eyes widened at the deep red of the demon's eyes.

It was blood – the kind that was dry and no longer a threat, a neon sign that pointed to a wounded person, but blood that dyed the surface beneath it with a stain to haunt the world. There was nothing there – no warmth, no recognition for anything. It was the look of something beyond death; simply emptiness.

"Hiei –"

Something blurred through the air and Kurama barely had time to catch the object flying toward him. It was a necklace, but it had lost its shine. The demon energy inside it was gone now, but the gem still sparkled beautifully – a contrast from the demon that had carried it for many years.

Recognizing the gem hanging from the end, Kurama looked up. "I told you that you would give this back to Yukina yourself."

"You should keep your windows locked." Hiei ignored Kurama and turned away to the window. "I won't be returning for shelter."

With that statement, Hiei opened the window and blurred away into the night.

Kurama crossed over to his window and shut it in confusion. Keeping the window unlock was a habit, because Hiei had always took refuge in his home whenever the weather was bad. He had done so for many years, following him when Kurama had moved into his own place. Even after two years of the demon's absence, Kurama kept it open for his friend, but those words, the coldness of the demon's voice had him locking the window for the first time.

The heavy scent was gone, but Kurama knew its meaning and he whispered into his darkened apartment, "are you looking for death, Hiei?"

-End of Flashback-

Hiei had come back a few times, but Kurama had never known where Hiei had stayed during his visits – if he stayed anywhere at all. The only time he had known Hiei was even in Human World was when Kurama was called in to Spirit World and he saw the report of demon visits. It was just his name, just Hiei. There was no surname, nothing, as that was only reserved for Human World usage. Even the name, those few characters, seemed very lonely.

Kurama didn't understand the withdrawal. Yusuke had told him that it might be best if they left him alone, but he had only suggested it in annoyance, after Kuwabara threatened to go after Hiei. That threat had occurred after Kuwabara found out that Hiei was Yukina's brother and being 'a man and all', he wanted Hiei's permission to date Yukina officially. Yusuke had scoffed at Kuwabara and told him that he had already taken Yukina for a spin on the town plenty of times, but the taller man was stubborn. Kuwabara went on and on about his idea until one night, he dropped the subject. Turns out, that he had in fact talked with Hiei, but as for how the conversation went, neither of the other two men found out. Kuwabara, being the only one to have talked to Hiei in ages, simply shrugged whenever his friends would ask, and say 'it wasn't any of their business'.

Hiei had been cold, colder than Kurama had ever known, having lost sight of what little light he had found in his life. Hiei didn't talk. He didn't do anything. That deadened look remained in the demon's eyes, sitting in pools of blood that Kurama questioned silently.

But things were... different again.

A good different.

Seating himself, Kurama stared over at his friend across the table and contemplated the new aura hovering around the demon.

The aura was like clean air, that breeze that cooled clammy skin, something refreshing that had one closing his or her eyes to enjoy such an innocent act of nature. It was light, but overpowering, sweeping over Kurama's senses and he tilted his head. There, just floating upon this aura, was something floral and soft. Recognizing the scent, the reason for the relaxed expression on Hiei's face, his casual dry humor, and clear red eyes, Kurama's lips tilted up into a small smile.

He's... happy, Kurama met Hiei's gaze.

"I didn't know you were one for grinning like a fool," remarked Hiei with a raised eyebrow.

"You could try it. It's a display of happiness."

"Or a cover up." Hiei leaned back in his chair and regarded the other man with a cool gaze that belied the uplifting aura around him. "Expressions have many meanings."

Folding his hands beneath his chin, Kurama leaned forward to brace his elbows upon the tabletop. "Is this a personal visit where I should prepare tea or one of importance that requires my assistance?"

"Team Two was involved in a bandit raid."

Kurama's brows furrowed. "I wasn't informed – "

"It happened on Mukuro's lands, but nothing serious happened. You've been given time off and I handled everything. I informed Yomi and pass along the necessary reports. He asks that you contact him tomorrow."

Relaxing a bit, Kurama thought over Hiei's words, saying slowly. "Kuwabara is involved with Team Two, was he injured?"

"No," answered Hiei, not caring to elaborate. Kuwabara could handle himself. They both knew it, but Kurama only asked out of curiosity, a simple check-up on his friend. "From their description of the bandits, they were attacked by members of Sota's Wolf Clan."

"He's dead." Kurama wasn't making a guess to Sota's rumored death. He knew, because it was obvious. "No one would act through his clan unless they were looking for death and Team Two would not be alive to inform us."

"Exactly what I said to them."

"Could be a son? Sota probably had many, but I don't think he would have cared to passed on his clan to any of them." Hiei knew this, but allowed Kurama to carry on with his muttering. "He wasn't expecting to die so soon."

"It is a son. Team Two informed us that the bandits they had captured exploded seconds later."

"Only Sota, or one of his offspring, could pass along that knowledge to the members." He was silent, eyes narrowed in thought, before asking, "did Team Two have anything valuable?"

"Just women."

"How far out were they?"

"The edge of Mukuro's lands, north of Clawed Mountain."

"Anything else?"

Hiei grunted and closed his eyes. "The bandit leader was not involved, whether out of cowardice or observing his clan in battle, we don't know. Aside from that, there is nothing else worth noting."

"Nothing to do but stay alert," agreed Kurama.

Case closed. There was just nothing else they could do at this point. With that done, silence settled between them. Kurama studied Hiei's face with a frown.

"Now," Kurama peered over his clasped hands, "was there something else? I could have found this information out for myself tomorrow. I feel that you are," he waved a hand, searching for the correct word, "stalling?"

Opening his eyes, Hiei glanced to the side and his jaw tensed. "Dinner, next week."

Kurama blinked. After a second, he hid his laugh behind his hand. "I'm sorry, Hiei, but I can't have dinner with you. What would Karen think?"

"It was Karen's idea," hissed Hiei.

Kurama wanted to laugh, because the idea of Karen forcing Hiei to ask him over for dinner was too much, as the demon towered over the young woman. But, after the need to laugh passed, Kurama felt like sighing. Now, he was truly alone amongst his friends and for whatever reason, they, these couples, all wanted to keep him well fed. It was almost as if they were trying to keep him alive, add to his strength, in his search for his other half.

"What," Hiei asked when Kurama finally did sigh. "Be there," Hiei threatened, thinking Kurama was going to deny his proposal. "I don't need her talking my ear off because of your refusal to come over."

Kurama shook his head. "It's not that." He gave another laugh, but it was small and awkward. "I was just thinking that I am the lonely bachelor that everyone keeps feeding. I already have two dinners to attend this week."

"You've found a mate –"

"Hiei," Kurama cut him off while covering his face with his hands. "I wish you wouldn't bring that up."

"It's your human body that couldn't handle the alcohol and led to your one night stand, don't blame me for witnessing your morning after."

"You could smell what had –"

"Don't remind me!"

"Then, why did you intrude –"

"Need I remind you again, that my senses were dulled by alcohol, too, and this world makes it harder to catch scents!" At the memory, Hiei's lips twisted. "Why don't you do us all a favor and just be with that woman."

"Try saying that with a straight face," remarked Kurama at Hiei's disgusted expression.

"It's not the woman I despise, it's who she is related to." Annoyed with the talk and not one for discussing relationships, Hiei stood to his feet and headed for the door. "Hn, be with her or not, I don't care. Dinner, next week," he repeated.

"I'll bring a gift for the house!" shouted Kurama after the demon.

* * *

"Why not consume the human souls here, my Lord," asked Ruka, as she poured water over Cain's shoulders. "We still have plenty of humans here."

"Che," grunted Cain. "They are more tainted here, but there, in the other world, I have smelled the purity of the souls there and those souls will help refuel my strength a great deal better."

Yet, even as he said it, Cain knew that consuming souls would only speed up his recovery a tad faster. Again, the memory of that tiny woman that had weakened him flashed before his eyes and he shrugged away from Ruka's hands.

Cain was not known for his temper. He had patience, but to be outdone so easily had his jaw tensing in rigid anger. Inhaling deeply, he stepped from the spring and allowed the air to dry his magnificent form.

Consuming human souls were outlawed in many regions of Demon World and the idea of it had his lips thinning in disgust. These demon here were weak and very much dissimilar to the demons of his time. Cain was repulsed to have learned that humans in the other world had tortured his fellow demons. Humans were weak. They were beneath demons. It was how it had always been and Cain, the last demon from an era of strength and darkness, was here to show his children the truth of being a demon.

But first, his strength.

He needed to recover faster and he was doing everything he could to rise to power from the shadows of Demon World. He would not be thwarted again by a human, much less a priestess. He made a mistake, but he had learned from it.

Cain had sent his men, scattered them into the planes of Human World, to bring him his souls. He had only lived in Human World a short period of time, but he had learned much of its culture, even the dark side of it.

No one was going to miss a few humans here and there, not with how they breed, and as long as they were careful, Spirit World would remain ignorant.

When he was stronger, when he was at full strength, Human World will be free for his children and they will be regarded as gods.

And he would be their King.

"Mankind's darkest day," whispered Cain.

Too bad, that prophecy couldn't have accounted for the early arrival of the demon that was to bring doom upon humans.

This time around, he would be successful. Besides, he had his ally on the other side, one that hid behind a facade, a mask of trust and compassion, but he knew the truth.

He smirked.

Yes, it will be different this time.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I had a busy couple of weeks. My mother is an adjusting quadriplegic, so as her primary caregiver, there might be periods where I don't update. Not to worry! So please don't think I've gone and disappeared again. I promise you this story will finish. I don't know how else to convince you guys! I appreciate all the PMs that flooded my inbox, though! If you ever need to talk, just message me! I'm full of advice and friendly conversation! Lee appearing once again was an idea helped along by akasoeki. Thanks to her for beta-reading! Also, if you want to see the pictures of the house that she made on the sims, I can post them on deviantart. I'll leave a poll though. I don't want to post them, if no one wants to see despite the requests! I also have more drawings on deviant art if you haven't seen them. See you, hopefully, by next week! I love you guys!


	45. Something Soft On The Wind

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Five: Something Soft On The Wind...

* * *

"Just a little there to the left..."

"Urrgghh – it's so heavy!"

"Use your knees!"

"I don't believe we will all fit up there."

"Too late! We're halfway up!"

"PUSH!"

The air exploded with several gasps and grunts until a loud roar of pain overpowered every other noise within the kitchen. It was thunderous, bouncing off the walls and making dishes tremble. It was high-pitched and ripping apart eardrums.

It was Kenji.

"MY TOE!"

The entire room was filled with 'Kenji's' and the weight of the bed frame grew heavier causing everyone to buckle beneath the weight. Kenji hobbled back awkwardly on one foot with a pale face, spitting out several curses that would cause many people to either blush or gasp. Alone now on my side, I let out a screamed grunt at the increase of weight from the iron-wraught bed frame and began falling back down the stairs. Shizuru and Yukina, who were holding the head of the frame facing up the stairs, heaved their weight back to lessen the weight on my end. It worked, but only barely. My arms shook with the effort to keep from dropping the frame.

"Kenji," I panted. Glancing at Kenji over my shoulder, I yelled, somewhat in aggravation, "if you don't want to get squished, then move out of the way!" Kenji shot me an annoyed glare, but made his way down the stairs. To Shizuru and Yukina, I said, "I can't hold it – gr-gr-ah – let's... just sit it down... okay, yeah, lean it like that."

Carefully, we let the bed frame hit the metal casing of the stairs at an odd angle. Yukina swiped a wrist across her forehead while Shizuru muttered a few unintelligible words under her breath. Turning away from them, I dashed down the stairs and headed toward Kenji. He was sitting in the kitchen chair and inspecting his foot with a grimace.

"Here, lemme see." I knelt down and peered down at Kenji's left foot.

Kenji's big toe was flushed red around the head of the toenail, but there was no swelling anywhere. Sighing in relief, I patted his knee and collapsed onto my bottom to lean back on my hands.

"I think it's broken," mumbled Kenji with narrowed eyes.

Leaning back up, I reached forward lazily and swept a finger along the side of his foot. Kenji's foot wriggled violently and a strained gurgle emitted from his mouth.

"Nope," I commented with a sigh. "It's moving just fine and nothing looks out of place. I think it just got nipped hard at the tip." Kenji raised an eyebrow at me, seeming to wonder about my sudden expertise with broken bones, but I ignored him. "I'd get you some ice, but we don't have any until they turn on the dang power."

Kenji moaned and rested his injured foot on his right knee.

Having squeezed around the bed frame, Shizuru and Yukina approached us. Shizuru lifted an eyebrow at Kenji's moans and clucked her tongue in annoyance.

"Be a man," she grumbled at Kenji's display of fatigue and pain.

Sitting up straight, Kenji pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I just got my toe smashed and look," he swept a hand around him dramatically, "I appear to be the only man in this house! You guys have been working me ragged!" Crossing his arms, Kenji lifted his chin. "I demand respect!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Shizuru glared lazily down at Kenji. He shrank back, seeming suddenly afraid at the older woman's stern gaze. It was chilling, that look, and for a moment, the kitchen felt deliciously cool. "Look, kid," she hissed coolly, "we've all been working 'ragged', so don't flatter yourself as if your the only one doing anything!" With that, she flicked Kenji's big toe and he howled. "Maybe once you're a man, I'll show you respect!" She growled in deep disgusted annoyance. "You're just like Kazuma when he was younger –"

"Touch my toe again and see what happens!"

Shizuru smirked and flicked his toe again.

Kenji screamed.

Yukina and I eyed the heated argument that had erupted before us with lazy expressions. I made a serious effort to break up the fight by lifting my hand, but thought better of it, and shrugged.

This is how the majority of the morning had been for us.

Today was the move-in day, which started off well enough. I had a good breakfast. I made out with Hiei for nearly half an hour. I shaved my legs, which was always a nice feeling. Then, Gaston called and said there was a problem with the delivery of some of my furniture. This dilemma left Kenji and I to have deal with moving the furniture that was already at the house until the moving guys and Gaston arrived back with the rest of the furniture.

Obviously, there were a few items that could not be moved with just the two of us, so I had to call in some muscle. Most of the guys were gone, which left only women. Not a problem, I had chirped mentally. Shizuru was a Kuwabara, which meant she was a strong, stubborn woman, with the belief that anything a man can do, she could do, too. Yukina was actually pretty strong, too. I once saw her drag a heavy mattress all the way down the hall of Genkai's temple with ease. She hadn't even broke a sweat! I had also called Keiko, not for any heavy-lifting, but just to join us.

Now, the problem today was the heat engulfing the house and having to lug around furniture in said heat. The utilities were not turned on yet, which was turning everyone's mood into dark, angry storm clouds. Heated arguments and glares kept erupting between us. Shizuru and Kenji were fighting every few minutes, which was enough to rival Kuwabara and Shizuru's sibling arguments. Even Yukina and I were grumbling at each other about whose turn it was now to break up our friends fight.

"Do you mind cooling things down again for a bit, please, before they kill each other?" I asked Yukina. "I'm going to make some calls and see what's up with the power and stuff. It should have been turned on by now."

Nodding her head, Yukina's eyes lit up with an eerie blue light and the ground beneath her feet began to frost over. I sighed at the cooling atmosphere, enjoying the abrupt coldness. I heard Kenji yell in delight at the feeling of immediate winter and Shizuru's grateful sigh of pleasure, something about 'better than a man's touch'. Shaking my head, I dug out my cellphone and headed into the living room.

Normally, I'm rather polite to people. I like to think I have manners, even toward strangers, but utility companies were a hassle to deal with that led anyone to burst out in anger. I was growing aggravated at being put on hold for several minutes. Finally, when my call went through, I hurried to state my case. The doorbell sounded behind me, as I was trying to understand why it was taking eons for the power to come to life.

"Yes, I understand that, but you told me that it would be on at ten this morning and that was nearly three hours ago!" Twisting the doorknob, I gave a growl of annoyance at the woman's monotone explanation. "How hard is it to turn it on? Don't you just reach over and press a button? We've been cooking in this heat all morning! Now, give me the exact time of when it will be on – oh hello, Kurama!"

Kurama nodded his head in greeting and a charming grin spread across his face. I stepped back and swept a hand out for him to enter the house.

"Whew," he glanced around with a whistle.

"I know, it's steaming hot," I grumbled. Turning my attention back to the phone, I lowered my voice. "You hear that? 'Steaming hot' and it's nearly one in the afternoon! I've got a house full of people trying to help me move some furniture, which is completely impossible with this –" Before I could finish, their was a whirring noise above me. I lifted a brow. "Okay, I think it's on now." I heard the woman set off into some sort of business tirade, but I ignored her words. "Thanks for your help," I said dryly.

"HELL YEAH!" Kenji yelled from within the kitchen.

Giving me an amused smile, Kurama nodded his head over his shoulder in indication to Kenji's excited prayers of cool air.

"Oh, the air unit is finally on. If you had arrived earlier, you would have been a witness to some epic fighting. It's nothing though, just everyone being cranky while moving furniture in this heat."

"I see. Who's all here?" He craned his neck toward the kitchen area. "Hiei didn't mention that today was the move-in day when he stopped by this morning. If I had known I would have come earlier to help."

"No way! You just got back! You should be taking it easy!" Crossing my arms, I ignored the determined glint in his eyes. "C'mon, how about I give you a tour instead?"

Before we headed further inside the house, I was ready to give Kurama a much-needed hug, seeing as he had just arrived back home not too long ago, but something loud groaned from the kitchen. It was like the sound of metal sliding against metal, and I tilted my head. There was a scuffle of footsteps and a feminine shriek.

"It's falling – Karen!"

I dashed off toward the kitchen with Kurama right on my heels. Yukina was all alone and trying to brace her weight against the bed frame that we had set aside halfway up the stairs. Gasping, I hurried to help.

"See, exactly why you needed my help," mused Kurama with a laugh once we had successfully pushed the frame upstairs.

I met Yukina's amused smile and we both rolled our eyes.

Now that the bed frame was in place and ready for the mattress, Yukina and I stood there looking at Kurama. His hair was long and overflowing, as he kept flicking his bangs out of his eyes. I never realized it, but Kurama's hair kind of had a spiky look to it at the ends, almost in a rocker-like look. Also, the sun must have been brutal in Demon World, because his skin was much darker, but contrasted wonderfully with his fiery hair color. Still, he was Kurama – intelligent, charming, and handsome.

Grinning, I hurried over to him now and hugged him around the waist. Yukina followed suit with a laugh and his arms came down around us.

"Whoa, Kurama, what's up," greeted Kenji, making his way upstairs. He pulled Kurama in for a one arm hug, both of them slapping each others' backs. "Welcome back, man."

The other occupant made her way up the stairs and when she reached the top, her soft brown eyes traveled over Kurama's body in a lazy manner. Meeting Kurama's bright, emerald eyes, she leaned against the banister of the stairs and grinned over at him. There was a look of relief in her eyes that was brief and followed by contentment.

"Red," Shizuru drawled in her husky voice. "I think you're in need of a haircut."

Kurama reached up and fingered one of his long locks of hair, but his eyes remained locked with hers. "So it seems."

Kenji was patting the bed frame pushed up against the wall, completely ignorant to Kurama and Shizuru's greeting. But he was a boy, and it was in my opinion that boys hardly noticed anything unless it involved them directly. Meeting Yukina's crimson eyes, I lifted a brow in question. She responded with furrowed brows to show that she was unsure about our two friends. We continued to communicate with each other with various facial expressions.

"Sorry I'm late, but I brought food!" yelled a voice from down below. It was Keiko.

Kenji zipped in between Shizuru and Kurama's staring contest, disrupting them, and hurried down the stairs to help Keiko. Thrown back into our world, Shizuru and Kurama blinked in surprise. Yukina cleared her throat and grabbed my hand to lead me away from our friends. Shizuru and Kurama stared after us with peculiar expressions while I waved at them to catch up with one another.

"Do you think...?" I whispered into Yukina's ear.

Yukina leaned over to whisper back.

"What are you two whispering about?" asked Shizuru from the top of the stairs in a tone that caused our spines to stiffen.

Anybody who knew a Kuwabara, knew the tone, the tone that spoke of a warning of fists, and no one messed with a Kuwabara in that type of mood.

"Yukina, oh my gosh, Mom brought dorayakis!"

I dragged Yukina after me, as we fled down the rest of the stairs.

* * *

Without a voice, Naomi was a very observant girl. She had always been that way, seeing the world through eyes that saw pink, puffy clouds instead of plain, white clouds that grown-ups saw in the sky. Sometimes, she liked to imagine that whales were swimming up in the sky and they were singing their long, mournful-sounding songs that echoed in one's mind for hours.

She liked whales. They were majestic and beautiful. They were almost unreal-like in their appearance, something odd and different from this world.

Looking down into her picture book, she traced the outline of a whale and smiled. A few feet away, her mother was talking on the phone.

As she traced the whale's body with a stubby finger, she heard the cries of joyous children. She glanced up and her six-year-old eyes took in the sight of her fellow peers playing on the different playground sets.

Naomi didn't know why her mother always took her to the park when she would never play like normal kids. She didn't see the fun in clambering atop the jungle gym or spinning round and round on the merry-go-round. She liked her books, because in them, her mind was her own adventure. In her mind, her world was endless. In her mind, kids didn't regard her as weird.

Everywhere Naomi went, people somehow knew she was different. She couldn't talk, her voice was lost, but mother said one day it might come back to grace the world with beautiful music. If her voice came back, Naomi would like for it to be of whale origin and then she could sing with her friends in the sky.

She wondered why she didn't have friends. Everywhere she looked, kids were playing with each other, some strangers, and some not. She only had her mother and the lady that had held her in the dead of night long ago. She was a grown up, too, but a dear friend and Naomi's first.

Shizuru, yes, that was her name. Naomi had liked Shizuru. She was much like her own mother, brave and silent, pushing forth with inner strength.

Shizuru had used to come visit her and mother. Naomi and Shizuru would sit outside and read her picture books, eating popsicles for hours. Sometimes, Shizuru and her mother would play, too. They called it a whispering game. Naomi would watch as they would stand in the kitchen whispering to each other, but whenever Naomi asked if she could play, they would say it was a game just for them. Naomi didn't think that was true, because they were always looking at her while she was reading her books.

They used to call her a 'priestess', but whenever Naomi made the signs for the name, the two grown-ups would say she had misheard them. She was a princess, they would say. She was a princess of the whales. Naomi had liked that title.

But Shizuru had left to attend to some things and Naomi hadn't seen her for many months.

She missed her friend.

Out of nowhere, a hand slammed down onto her book and Naomi watched her book hit the grass. The picture of the whales tumbled over and over, giving flashes of majestic grins and lonely eyes, before coming to a stop a few feet away. Lifting her eyes, Naomi stared up at a raven-haired boy.

"You're really weird!" he yelled down at her with a twisted smile.

"Hey, why don't you come play with us?" asked another boy from behind his friend.

His voice was laced with distrust and vile. It wasn't a request for actual playing, but for an evil game of ridicule. Naomi could sense their mischievous tricks in the air. It was thick and rotten. It burned her senses.

Shaking her head, Naomi stood to her feet to fetch her book. She bent down to pick it up when she was pushed to the ground. Grimacing, she rolled over onto her back and stared up at the two boys. She couldn't really hear what they were saying, but she saw their stretched smiles and heard the cackle of boyish laughter. She was too focus on their faces, the eyes, of how wicked them seemed to be at a young age.

As she was watching them, she saw a white orb flying up in the sky. It was almost swimming in the air, so ghostly in appearance, that the bright sun nearly made it invisible. The boys laughter faded completely, as if a door was shut and blankets were tucked into the hollow cracks. The entire playground became silent, like a play with the curtains drawn. It was eerie for the laughter to have disappeared. Naomi's eyes widened. She didn't like this! She couldn't hear!

Then, she heard someone crying. It was quiet, a low murmur, a ghostly whisper above the treetops, but it grew into a gentle hum. Naomi's eyes locked onto the flying orb and she frowned. That orb was crying! Yes, she could hear the cries of a little girl. She was calling for help! She was lonely and cold, her small frightened voice pleading for an ear to hear her pleas.

I'll help you, Naomi called back.

But she had no voice. She couldn't speak. No one could hear the little girl except for her and she had no voice. Naomi's eyes watered. She had never wanted to speak more than she did now, but the frustration of being unable to say a single word made her eyes burn. She wanted her mother. She wanted someone to hear this poor girl crying. She wanted a voice. She wanted to scream.

Naomi's mouth worked furiously, making several hissing noises and grunts. The boys stepped back, eyes wide with slight fear at the little girl lying at their feet. She was reaching a hand up to the sky with a reddened face and spewing out unintelligible noises.

A woman pushed through the two boys and her form blocked out the orb above them, the orb that only Naomi could see. Naomi's eyes widened and she shook her head furiously at her mother that was now looking down at her with concern.

Behind you! Please, mother, behind you!

"Naomi," Yumi called frantically, trying to lift her child off the ground. "Naomi, what's wrong, baby? C'mon, baby, tell me what's wrong!"

Naomi struggled to point past her mother's shoulder, as the screams were growing quiet soon to be lost from the world. She tried several times to form the words with her hands, but she was too frantic with the need to make her point, she wasn't making any sense to her mother. Yumi finally scooped her up and rushed away from the park while Naomi cried silently in anger at herself.

Naomi's picture book was left behind, faced open, and the whales were singing to the tiny soul floating up in the sky.

* * *

I grinned in appreciation, as the vendor handed me a cup of red ice. Next to me, Hiei handed over the correct amount of a yen, a simple coin, and I sniffed my treat. I don't know why, but I had a habit of sniffing my food before consuming it. It was as if I had to treat my sense of smell before my sense of taste, just another way to enjoy the pleasures of food.

Using the small spoon, I scooped up some ice and stuck it in my mouth. The soft taste of watermelon filled my mouth. With the taste, memories of sitting outside with my dozens of ever-changing orphan siblings and eating slices of watermelon in the summer made me glance down at my snow cone.

What lovely, lazy days...

"You don't like it?" asked Hiei gruffly at my silent look. "You were hounding me for one since we left your movie house."

"No, it tastes great! It's not too sweet, just right." I took another bite for emphasis that it was good. "I was just thinking about my childhood."

"Like what?"

The question was asked quietly, more likely out of boredom, as Hiei hadn't been too into the movie. I tried to pick a good action flick, but Hiei only scoffed at its low quality and poor acting. I thought it was a good movie and we had actually finished the entire movie this time.

After successfully finishing with the move-in, save for the bedroom mattress, which would be delivered tomorrow, Hiei had picked me up. Entering Hakone, we had passed the movie house when Hiei had said:

"If I take you, will you stop fogging up the windows?"

Of course, I immediately backed away from the window in excitement. I wasn't sure he was being serious until he had pulled into the parking lot next to the theater.

Unlike last time, I had only ordered popcorn and a soft drink, which I shared with him. He hadn't been too fond of the soft drink so I'd had to get him a water later.

Hiei didn't really like sweets, or any at all, but now and then, he would sometimes nibble on a baked treat. He wasn't a picky guy, but sweets were not his favorite. I knew for a fact he wasn't picky, because he ate enough burnt food to kill a man.

Night time had fallen upon the city of Hakone and we were walking along a boardwalk that overlooked a small portion of Lake Ashinoko. Mt. Fuji was way in the distance and dim in the night sky, but still visible enough with its glistening snow cap. I munched through a mouthful of my flavored ice.

"I was just thinking about when I used to eat watermelon with the other kids at the orphanage on nights like this." I held a hand out over the wooden rails and above the lake beneath us. "You know, all muggy and hot. We'd eat dozens of slices of watermelon and play with each other until it was too dark to see."

Hiei leaned against the railings without saying a word. I loved that about Hiei. He never questioned too deeply. I know I said many times that he didn't listen, but sometimes, like now, he really did just listen. I don't know if he heard everything I said, but it was nice to tell a story or two, even if it was embarrassing or boring.

"Want some?" I asked him while holding out my spoon with some of the slush.

Hiei turned his head away with a curl of his lip.

"It's not all that sweet, I promise." I held the spoon closer, but he dodged my advances. Rolling my eyes, I shrugged. "Okay, more for me. How do you know you won't like it if you've never tried it?"

"If it's anything like ice cream, then I won't like it. This world's sweets are disgusting."

"I don't like ice cream either, but this isn't ice cream. It's not very sweet at all. Just flavored ice, really." Thinking over what he had said, I asked, "does your world have sweet stuff like this?"

"Something similar to what you are eating now."

"Any others?"

"I wouldn't know."

I nodded to myself and munched through some more ice. I didn't know if I should ask any more questions about his world, but he wasn't grunting or telling me to drop the subject. Setting my cup down on the railings, I stirred my treat around inside the cup.

"I know that Human World and Demon World were once connected, but I was just wondering if your skies are like ours, too? Or is it slightly different?"

"We have a sun and a moon."

I mulled over his short answer, thinking that was the only explanation I would get until he continued speaking softly. I stared over at him, watching him stare out over the lake in the moonlight.

"Our air is more raw, cleaner than the smoke and smog that is in your world, but sunlight varies from place to place." It was almost poetic, the way he was speaking. I was caught up in the flutter of his hair in the very light, muggy breeze. "The atmosphere is filled with clouds and storms that can hover for months at a time. The wind carries nature's scents and the trees tower higher than your world's trees. It's the more ancient form of your world, but there are places that are modernized with technology."

His voice was deep and smooth, carrying over to my ears like soft music and when he was done, the slush from my spoon fell into the lake. I snapped awake and hoped he didn't hear the plop of my treat hitting the water's surface.

I glanced up at the sky and eyed the stars overhead. "Then you can see this world's stars from your world, too?" I held a hand up and spread my fingers out. "I bet the stars there are brighter and there's probably more out there with dozens of different constellations, well," I gave him a sidelong glance, "when the sky is clear, I mean."

He watched me silently and I turned back to my stargazing with my outstretched hand.

"When I was younger, Maria told me a story about how when people die, they become a star. I used to sit outside and pick a place in the sky for when I joined all those people up there." I smiled a tad at the memory. My fingers traced a pattern up in the sky. "They were so pretty, all those tiny burning lights. I wanted to be like that, just something beautiful and awe-inspiring."

Closing my eyes, I recalled Maria's words and my innocence as a child. Stories were real and magical, something to look forward to at night when it was time to dream. I hadn't dreamed much lately, because Hiei was here in the real world. During those months apart, I had dreamed of him constantly, just imagining his face every night.

Opening my eyes, I spotted an inky area between two clusters of stars. I chased away those long months without him and focused on the present.

"I think it's nice to imagine that you become a star when your time is up." I pointed at the area above me. "I like that spot right there."

Grunting, Hiei pushed away from the railings. "Spirit World decides where you go." He glanced up at the sky. "Those are gaseous elements."

I sighed inwardly at his blunt statement. No matter. It was still nice to think that stars were something magical, like the souls of the world.

"Spirit World isn't deciding for me." I stubbornly joked. "I'm going right there with all the other pretty stars." Smiling at him, I grabbed my cup of ice. "If you want, you can share that spot with me."

"And be a ball of gas?"

"Sure, why not? It's something more to look forward to out of life than just thinking you have this spot to fulfill." I winked at him and grinned. "But if you want to go to Spirit World, then be my guest. It's probably boring up there."

"Nonsense."

Laughing, I handed him my empty cup and he tossed it over his shoulder into the nearest trash bin. The silly musings of his world, my world, and where people go when they die was done and giddy with my time with him, I sidled closer to him. Leaning up, I teased him with soft kiss. When I pulled away, he ran a tongue over his lower lip to taste the flavor of my snow cone.

"See," I smiled bashfully. "I told you it wasn't too sweet."

A slow, devilish smirk graced his lips and I shivered.

* * *

The ride home past in a blur. Hell, the walk up to the house past in a blur. All I know is that I was plastered completely to Hiei's front, kissing him fiercely, as he pushed open the door to our soon-to-be former bedroom.

I couldn't remember if Keiko or Yusuke were home, but they must not be because we were making too much noise. I had kicked my bedroom door closed, knocking a picture off the wall. He had surprisingly knocked into the side of some of the bags I had packed and they crashed onto the floor. The bags fell open and a few articles tumbled out, scattering beneath our feet.

Making our way to the bed in the darkness, I bravely pushed him back onto the bed. It was almost funny to have pushed someone as powerful as Hiei onto my bed, but his eyes darkened at my actions. His attention was completely on me, but I worried somewhat at my attire.

The only time he had ever really looked at me lately was when I was dressed up and showing as much skin as possible, but even then, it was fleeting. His attention never lasted long and I didn't know how to keep him entirely focused on me. I had never had this problem before in our relationship. I used to find his serious gaze too embarrassing.

I was deliberating over my clothes nervously when he leaned up until he was sitting. Grabbing my wrist, he silently jerked my eyes down to his piercing gaze.

"What are you thinking, Karen?"

Chewing my lip, I fingered a button of my shirt. "I'm not very... appealing right now. The only time... you only look at me lately when I'm dressed nicely."

"I've been trying to keep my hands off you until the time was appropriate, but you've been making that quite difficult this past week." Speaking softly, he grabbed my hands and placed them on the lowest button of my shirt. "Trust me, Karen. I do look at you." Hiei pinned me with his eyes. "Undress for me."

Maybe it was the color of his eyes that kept me mesmerize and distracted from feeling nervous at undressing in front of him, but the buttons were coming undone quick enough beneath my steady fingers. Safe in the darkness, I let my shirt fall from my body and pool onto the floor.

"Take your shirt off," I demanded quietly.

Very slowly, eyes nearly blackened with his arousal, Hiei reached over his head and yanked his shirt off with ease. Drunk off of something in the air, I allowed Hiei to tug me forward by my short's belt loops. He was kissing my abdomen softly, licking and nipping, as his fingers undid the button at the front of my shorts. The zipper was being pulled down and the metal teeth hissed loudly in my ears. He tugged the denim down my hips until they fell at my feet. Stepping out of them, I straddled his waist and clutched him to me tightly.

Skin against skin created an intense heat that made my flesh flush and I pressed myself more intimately against him to kiss him deeply. I could feel his hardened chest and taste the lingering salt of popcorn on his tongue. It wasn't unpleasant, the taste, but exotic and real. My body trembled in response to the groan rumbling from his throat. Spurred on by that grunt, I clamped my teeth gently on his lower lip and suckled softly. His response was to scoot us further up the bed and roll me beneath him.

"Fuck, Karen," he pushed his hips into mine with a growl. "When did you become such a good kisser?"

I moaned at the feeling of his weight atop me. "I-I had a good teacher."

Wanting to feel more of his body, I decided to imitate him by taking off his pants. My hands traveled down between us. Catching onto my intentions, he lifted up slightly and waited patiently for me to reach for the band of his pants. It was kind of awkward to take off his pants while lying on my back, but I found the button of his pants easily enough and proceeded to undress him.

Hearing the muffled 'pop' of the button, I reached for the zipper. I pulled down to lower the zipper, but something wasn't right.

Great, I grumbled. It was stuck!

Not to be thwarted by a zipper, I furrowed my brows and tugged down on the metal tab. This is embarrassing, I thought with a blush. Everything was going great until I decided to act promiscuous by undressing him. After a good ten seconds of tugging, my frustrations spiked into the air. I pulled hard, jerking the tab down and Hiei moved with it. He grunted above me in question to my actions and possibly from the tug of my hands.

"It's stuck!" I whispered furiously.

I gave one last tug and there was a 'ping' sound. My hand shot back, smacking down onto my thigh. There was an object between my fingers and I rolled it over in my hand. Bringing my hand up, I peered closely at the object. A blush quickly heated my face and I wanted to shrink away into the mattress.

This is unbelievable! This can't be happening! Please, dear god, tell me this has happen to some other girl or guy before in the acts of intimacy! Honestly, not only was I awkward in daily life, but now sexually, too!

"Oh my god," I muttered in horror. "I broke your zipper!"

It was silent for an entire, long minute. I could hear my startled breathing and Hiei's calm breaths against my neck. I was afraid to move. I hadn't meant to utter my mistake out loud, but there it was, just ringing in the air like wind chimes. Done for, I closed my eyes in embarrassment.

I expected to hear a snide remark, but in it's place was a low chuckle. It was raspy and dark, something ancient that had died long ago, but was now awakening with a gasp of air. It grew louder, emerging from a darken cavern.

Staring up at the ceiling, I blinked in surprise. Hiei's face was buried into my neck and muffled laughter was pressing into my skin. I could feel his body trembling above me and my neck tingled from his chuckles biting into my flesh.

He's laughing at me...

He's laughing at me!

My eyes narrowed into anger and I pushed him off me. Sitting up, I threw his broken zipper piece down at him and he batted it away with his continuous, dark chuckle.

I think he gave an honest effort at trying to quit laughing, but one look at my face, and the laughter continued again. Humiliated, I batted away his hand that reached for me and crossed my arms over my nearly naked body.

There was no way we were doing anything more, as I had dug myself into a pit the size of Europe. I didn't think I had it in me if we were to go any further and he were to burst out into laughter halfway through our intimacy.

"When you're kindly finish laughing, will you please get off my blankets?" I asked through gritted teeth.

He lifted up enough to where I could tug my blankets out from underneath him. Crawling beneath them, I fumed silently with a red face. I flattened the blanket down over my chest and kept my arms crossed atop them.

Wow, I sure know how to ruin a moment.

Aside from the occasional chuckle, Hiei's laughter finally died down. He remained sprawled on his back and staring up at the ceiling. I was glaring at the ceiling. Finally, he scooted over to me and pressed his face against mine for a kiss. Maybe it was an apology, or just a goodnight kiss, but when I turned to meet his lips –

He erupted into another fit of quiet chuckles. Unable to help myself, I began laughing, too. I also threw in a couple of slaps to his head for good measure.

* * *

Yusuke struggled with the bag of baby clothes Mrs. Yukimura had given to him at the restaurant earlier. He didn't know how such tiny clothes could weigh so much, but the bags handles were cutting into the flesh of his hands.

Beside him, Keiko walked silently while massaging her stomach. He eyed her plump form warily, his eyes zeroing in on her stomach, before tearing away to stare ahead. She just kept growing! Everyday, Yusuke wondered how much bigger she would get, but when he thought it would stop, she would come waddling out the next day appearing even bigger than before. It was starting to freak him out.

Hopping the steps, Yusuke shook off his wild thoughts and tried the doorknob. It was already opened. Good. He hated opening doors. Besides, Hiei was more than capable of detecting a break-in, plus they had guards hovering around outside in the forest. Pushing the door open, he kicked his shoes off inside.

Just as he set the bags down on the floor, Yusuke heard muffled laughter from upstairs and glanced upward at the ceiling. Karen sometimes talked to Kenji late into the night and for some reason, no matter how many times they talked, they always found something to laugh about, but this laughter was different. There were two different laughs, but one was so quiet, it almost wasn't there. It was low chuckle and kind of creepy, too. Yusuke had heard such a laugh once, but from who?

"You hear that?" asked Yusuke to Keiko, his voice a whisper.

Instead of answering, Keiko gave an all-knowing grin and shuffled past Yusuke. She ignored Yusuke's question and nodded toward the kitchen. "Come help me make some tea. I'd like a cup before bed. Oh! And some daifuku!"

Yusuke hated being ignored, but he grudgingly followed his smaller wife with a scowl. Daifuku actually sounded pretty good, but he really needed to cut back on the eating. If it wasn't for the training he did daily, he might have started resembling Mr. Yukimura with his pot belly and muscular arms.

Still, he couldn't forget that ancient laughter...

It couldn't be Hiei, could it?

* * *

A/N: Hi, everyone! We're like half way through the sequel now! Pretty sweet, because there are a lot of things coming up that I've been working on for years. I'd say buckle down and prepare, because it's going to be quite a journey. Don't hate me for what comes in the future, that's all I can say.

Hope you guys had a good, safe Fourth of July if you're from the US of A. I had a blast! Thanks to all the lovely reviewers! You guys really gave me a good kick in the ass to keep me motivated, as I was kind of losing interest lately. Because The Great Wall of China wasn't built in a day, as HazelxLashay told me. Damn, just imagine if it was! Thank you, **akasoeki**,for all that you do. Poll is still up! Oh, and if you like Gaara, my sis drew a pic of him. It's on my deviant art page. Love you guys!

P.S: Daily snippets on my profile page. I'll change them out everyday. Just one or two lines to see where I am at with the chapter... yeah, I'm bored.


	46. Calm The Waters

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho

* * *

Chapter Forty-Six: Calm The Waters

* * *

A majority of the time, I fail.

At games. At life. At sex.

And just about everything that comes my way – like taking off someone's pants.

My pride must be sky high, because every time I fall, there is still an astounding amount left for me to chip away at with my daily mistakes. Yet, no matter how hard the tumble, the feel of the concrete slapping my ass, or the roar of laughter at my reddened face, I, for some unknown reason, keep getting up. I really needed to just stay on the ground and kiss the gravel to avoid further embarrassment. When one blushes hardcore, it kind of hurts.

But no, I guess I'll always stand up and dust off my pants.

Last night, I had tried to bring about a night of pleasure with Hiei and I did succeed somewhat, but not with pleasured groans. He had erupted into pleasured laughter.

Laughing sadly at my own misfortune and goofy self, I tossed one of my old t-shirts into my new dresser drawer. Mindlessly, I kept filling up the proper drawers with various clothes.

It didn't take long to unpack all the clothes. I had even hung up the nicer articles of clothing, fixed the bed with fresh, laundered sheets, and added the toiletry items to the bathroom. Keiko had stocked the fridge yesterday with a startling amount of food. Yukina and Keiko had given me several patterns of dishes and glasses to fill the cabinets. The house was thoroughly cleaned out by Gaston's superb team. Everything was tidy.

Glancing around, I sat down on the bed. Now, there was nothing else for me to do today in this huge house.

I was alone.

It was as I was sitting there, upon the lavender smelling sheets and comforter, that my mind dwelled on the word 'alone'.

Tonight, Hiei and I were going to be alone. I was going to be alone with Hiei. He and I were going to be sleeping in this bed tonight without Yusuke and Keiko sleeping down the hall – alone.

These thoughts were frightening.

_Why are you worrying about this, girl_, I asked myself. _Haven't you been trying to find some alone time with Hiei for the past few days_? Now, tonight, I was going to have him completely to myself without any interference from anybody. This was what I wanted, I assured myself. This tension, in my body, between us, and the very air was making me frustrated and exhausted. I was ready to just get this night over with, let it be done with, and moved on in my new life.

But, then again, the memories of last night swam to surface and I cringed.

I am so awkward and last night was just proof that I was and will always be a clumsy girl. I just know I'm going to mess up and be a disappointment. Every time I had tried to be mature, act sexy, and be a woman, I ended up humiliating myself into a blushing school girl. I can't even take off his pants right! How I was supposed to pleasure him when I couldn't even do something as simple as that?

Holding a hand to my forehead, I bowed my head and closed my eyes. Many thoughts were flying around in my head. With it, came the words that I had tried to shove to the back of my mind, lock away, and find a way to destroy them. I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking of something else – anything – but the words were persistent. They knocked against walls and clawed at doors.

'_Karen, can you just try._'

I kneaded my forehead.

'_Every time I touch you, you tense up_.'

I pressed the palm of my hand firmly against my left eye.

'_It's just sex, Karen._'

Biting my lip, I managed to stop the rest of the memories from that night of our fight before the words could slice through the walls of my head and jump out before me with evil smirks.

But what if it was nothing but pain like the first and second time? What if I could never enjoy what was supposed to be natural? What if I'm just this stiff in bed, frozen, all ice, unable to feel any pleasure at all, and he grew frustrated with me? Was I really going to have to resort to just faking an orgasm?

No, I sighed.

Faking an orgasm wouldn't end well, because he'd know I was pretending. There was no need to set myself up for even more humiliation with my horrible acting skills.

I don't know why I'm making a big deal out of this. It is just sex. I wasn't a virgin anymore. I should be more than ready for sex, because we had already had sex – twice.

I stood up with a glare.

Yes, I am ready!

There was a glint of light from across the room and I turned toward the source. The vanity mirror of the lovely table that had come with the bedroom set twinkled back at me. I strode over to it and my reflection jumped out at me.

I stared at my lopsided ponytail with a frown. The brown strands of hair were slightly wavy throughout the tail. It was getting too long. Reaching up, I traced a finger along the side of my face. I felt the smoothness of my cheek, but also the small scar along my chin from where I had fallen onto the ground during my many accidents. Continuing with my persual, I fingered the small band of my tank top and slid the strap down my shoulder. Hiei did that, sometimes, but what was so remarkable about my neck or collarbone?

"What do you see in me?" I whispered to myself.

I continued to stare at myself, questioning my appearance. I tried to imagine myself naked, but I didn't see anything. Slipping my tank top off, I set the fabric onto the small table. My eyes traveled over my body, but it was just me – nothing stood out.

I had yet to be fully naked in front of him. Would I be tonight? My cheeks flushed pink. I could barely stare at myself in the mirror like this and he was going to be looking at me tonight without a scrap of clothing on to cover me!

But being self-conscious over my body was something I could deal with and push aside with a strained smile. I think. I could handled the sex, the entire act of it. And if there was any pain, I could deal with that, too, with gritted teeth, because I had done so already.

It was the mentality of it that was worrying me.

…

I don't think I'm ready, or was ever even close to being ready. Even though I had thrown myself at him last night with eagerness, I had known that we wouldn't have gone much further than touching each other. I believe that was why I was somewhat brave enough to undress for him.

'_Were you expecting it to be pretty?_'

I shook my head and reached for my shirt to jerk it over my head.

'_Romanticizing something like this..._'

The memory of his hand pressing my hand against his groin and the hiss of his words made me turn away from the vanity table.

'_... is pathetic._'

I closed my eyes and counted, starting from ten, but my mind rushed through thousands of numbers in a random order.

'_It's hot and sweaty, so whatever childish ideals you have about it in that head of yours can end now._'

I was remembering the heat in his eyes that night, but it wasn't the heat of passion. His eyes had been livid and furious, burning me into a frozen block of fear. His hand had trapped my wrists against the bed, bruising them into the mattress. He was tearing at my clothes and I was humiliated at his actions.

'_Quit acting like a little girl..._'

I opened my eyes.

'_... and learn to open your goddamn legs._'

No!

_You're being stupid, Karen_! I growled at myself. _That night was over with_! It's been said and done. I swept the memories of that night under the rug and walked away.

But why was it appearing now?

I'm not scared. I'm not and I was doing fine before today. Everything will be okay. It was Hiei. It was just Hiei. I was just nervous, but I can deal with this! I can!

'_Just have fun with it and relax. Don't stress too much about it. It'll happen._'

I nodded at the echoing of Valon's words.

Yes, I just had to relax. If I could keep myself busy with relaxing activities, I can slowly exhaust myself into relaxing tonight. I won't think about it. I'll just focus on being calm.

_Be calm_, I chanted to myself.

I nodded and smiled stiffly, more of a grimace that if it had a taste would be as sour as lemons. Grabbing my running shoes, I made my way downstairs for, not a jog, but a long run to calm my frenzied mind.

* * *

"Hey, you want to hit up the training room with me?" asked Yusuke to a bored demon that was resting his head atop his palm in the aftermath of a meeting. "I'm bailing out on that next meeting."

Hiei lifted his eyes, pinning Yusuke with his cool gaze. A minute of silence, which Yusuke thought was serious consideration of his offer on Hiei's part, passed, but the demon didn't answer. He closed his eyes in a sign for the detective to leave him.

"Aw, c'mon, Three Eyes, don't be like that!"

When Hiei didn't budge, Yusuke leaned down with a sly grin. Hiei refrained from sighing, which was starting to become a habit that he had picked up from Karen. He didn't feel like accompanying Yusuke anywhere. Hiei just wanted the meetings to be done with so he could head home to the woman that had been occupying his thoughts all morning, but Yusuke had other plans. Moving his mouth next to the demon's ear, Yusuke grinned wickedly.

"You know, I think I heard something last night," Yusuke's grinned widened when Hiei stiffened. "It was kind of like Count Dracula laughing, but it couldn't have been Karen. I wonder who that could have been? Any ideas, Hiei?"

Hiei cracked open an eye and it narrowed in annoyance. Yusuke continued to give Hiei a superior grin, but the demon shrugged and pushed away from the table.

Before Hiei could leave, Yusuke reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. "Don't believe me? Heh, too bad that I have proof right here." Yusuke's eyes gleamed in amusement at Hiei's casual glance over his shoulder. The action may have been casual to others, but Yusuke saw the flash of surprise in the demon's eyes. He wiggled his phone. "It'd be a shame if I were to 'accidentally' play this in one of the meetings, like if my ass cheek just happened to sit on the command button for my recent play list."

Hiei's eyes slid past Yusuke to a muscular SDF guard sitting at the end of the long, rectangular table. His head was bowed and he was scrawling something on his notes, but Hiei saw the guard's ear twitch just a tad to indicate that he was listening. Hiei narrowed his eyes.

While Yusuke was busy wiggling his phone, Hiei had timed the detective's eye blinks. Then, giving a shrug, Hiei turned to resume walking to appear uninterested in Yusuke's threat. Yusuke was ready to add on to his threat, but before he knew it, his phone was gone. He stared in disbelief down at his hand.

"Interesting," Hiei was shuffling through the contents of Yusuke's phone. "Does your woman know that you took a photo of her while she was getting dressed?"

Yusuke paled. In the blink of an eye, his face resembled the walls around him, making his dark hair, eyes, and brows stand out like the face of a geisha. "Hiei –"

During the time that Yusuke was becoming an albino, Hiei had checked Yusuke's play list, but there was no proof of a 'Count Dracula's' laughter. Going back to the photos, Hiei found the photo of an innocent Keiko standing naked in the bedroom and reaching for her outfit in the closet.

"Send," Hiei said simply.

"SEND?" Yusuke reached forward, but the demon had already thrown the phone up into the air. The detective caught the device and stared in disbelief at the demon walking away from him. "Hiei, you didn't really send it, did you?" Flickering through his picture messages, Yusuke blinked down at the screen. "You sent it to yourself?"

"Proof of your misdeeds should you decide to disrupt my break again."

Yusuke marched after Hiei with a reddened face and a vein throbbing at his temple. Pointing a finger at the demon's back, Yusuke hissed in anger. "Like you don't take a piece of something from your woman to work! This breaks the sacred rule of our friendship. We're men. You don't hold something like this over my head!" When he had stopped talking, Yusuke realized what he said and his eyes widened. "Wait, you don't have a picture of Karen, too, do you?"

No, Hiei didn't, but he did have something that he did bring with him to work everyday. His right hand curled around the lacy fabric sitting in his pocket. The small, nearly invisible tightening of his arm was caught by Yusuke's eyes.

"You have something of hers, don't you?"

He shouldn't have said that out loud, but Yusuke didn't think things through all the time. He had made his accusation while leaping forward to reach into the other man's pocket to snatch away his phone and whatever Hiei kept of Karen. Yusuke was close to Hiei's pocket until his hand passed through nothing but air. Yusuke had just swiped through the after image of Hiei and was left to windmill his arms to keep from falling on his face. Gritting his teeth, Yusuke blurred from view to chase after Hiei down the corridor.

The ogres that were working had stopped to regard the scene of the two men with curious stares. When the men were gone, the ogres shrugged and began dashing about their business.

* * *

_Nope, I'm not thinking about tonight at all. No siree_!

I continued running down the sidewalk of the neighborhood, passing several people that were walking their dogs and kids that were riding their bikes. A woman that was watering her plants was watching me run with raised eyebrows. Two small children waited until I was close enough to them before racing out onto the street sitting atop their bikes to beat me to the end of the approaching sidewalk.

_I wonder what I should do while in bed with Hiei_? I bet he thinks I'm kind of stupid for just lying there, thinking of mindless things like where my hands should be when he's on top of me. _Should I dress special tonight? Is there a certain type of underwear I should wear?_

_Wait_, I yelled mentally. _What should it matter what kind of underwear I wear if I'll be naked later tonight anyways?_

_Well, then_, my thoughts continued. _Should I just be naked and waiting in bed_? What if I did that and he came in and laughed?

_Oh no, he's going to laugh again tonight! Why did that zipper have to break last night! Why, why, why_?

Two men sitting in lawn chairs and enjoying the weather, glanced at each other with curiosity. I was too focused on my running to hear their abnormally loud voices, as they were both wearing earpieces.

"How long do you think that there girl will continue to run?" asked the first man.

His friend shrugged. "I don't know, but it's been over two hours." When I passed the two of them, the second man slapped his knee. "Fifteen!"

The first man shook his head, disagreeing about the numbers of time that 'runner' had already passed through the neighborhood. "Are you blind? It was sixteen times!"

Completely focused on trying to drown out my thoughts, my body was on full alert, acting on instinct. A boy of thirteen was crouched behind a bush with two of his friends. They sniggered together in unison. Right before I going to pass their hiding spot, the preteen boy pushed a wagon out into my path.

_I should try to please him too, tonight. He's always touching me and the first few times he had done all the work._

My brows furrowed.

'_And if, after all that, it still doesn't work, then just reach down there, grab him firmly, and he'll do anything you want!_'

A blush dug through the heat of the adrenaline from my run and waved at the world.

_A hand job? W-would that work?_ I pondered. _Or you could try being daring,_ argued my mind with a snippy voice. _A blow job_, I mentally squeaked.

_Che, don't be such a virgin! It's completely natural to want to please your man! It's a private act in the bedroom. There's nothing wrong with it,_ my mind snapped back at me.

_Not when you're me_, I fumed. As if I can give a decent job of any kind when I can't even unzip someone's pants. _He probably doesn't even want me near his nether regions after that catastrophe! I might hurt him or something._

Did I really just call it the nether regions? I shook my head furiously to swat away my nearly delirious mind.

A wagon rolled out before me and I hurried to leap over the wagon. A series of other toys went tumbling onto the sidewalk from behind the bushes. I did a couple of flips to avoid the skateboard and tricycle that tried to disrupt my run. There was the sound of amazement in the air, but I continued down the street.

"Damn!" I cursed when I reached the end of the street. "This isn't working!" Stopping, I tapped my foot onto the cement with a frown. "Alright, a bath. I need a bath!"

Turning around, I began the long journey back to the house.

* * *

Yusuke finally chased Hiei into the training room and the two faced each other down with narrowed eyes. There was a series of alarms and a red light began whirring around in the room, coloring the men's faces every half a second. An ogre shouted over the noise and began a countdown.

"Five," began the ogre from the intercom.

Yusuke cracked his knuckles. "I can't wait to kick your ass."

"Four."

The room began to transform and the walls began to melt away. The outside world of Spirit World appeared and the two men were standing on a large platform. The clouds of Spirit World's atmosphere hovered around them and in the distance ferry girls were flying off on various tasks. A furious wind picked up and caused the clothing upon the fighters to billow violently.

"Three."

Hiei tossed aside his shirt. "You asked for it, Detective."

He was in desperate need of releasing some pent up energy if he was going to be successful in pleasuring his woman tonight. Hiei had been thinking all morning about the coming night and assuring himself that he could keep in control of his instincts. He wanted to take his time with her and soothe her, because he knew that she was afraid of what he had done to her when he had taken her virginity so brutally. He hadn't taught her properly, but instead kept her cowering beneath him. All she knew was to be quiet and look away to bare the pain, but not tonight.

Tonight, they would be alone and they wouldn't have to be quiet because of this big headed fool in front of him and his mate.

Hiei had to do this right. He couldn't lose control, even if he wanted to drive himself into his woman and take her repeatedly throughout the night.

"I have a lot of aggravation to work out. Your face looks like a good starting place," Hiei mentioned coldly.

Hiei unwound the bandages from his arm, preparing his dragon attack for later use. He needed to let it out anyways before his dragon grew too restless and Yusuke was the only one that was unafraid to train with his dragon roaring in the air. He wouldn't use it on the human, but the dragon would drain necessary energy from him during the fight and allow Hiei to focus on tiring himself out.

"Two."

"Fine with me." Yusuke dug a finger in his ear, clearing out the wax. "Anything goes, except death. I'm due home by six."

"One."

"Hn."

Hiei met Yusuke's eyes across the battlefield.

Tonight was for her, Hiei thought, as he lowered into a fighting stance.

"Arena set up," droned the ogre. "You may begin."

The two fighters blurred away from sight.

* * *

Second bath of the day and the warm, scented water was doing nothing for my nerves. I drained the water, sitting amidst the disappearing suds. Once the water was gone, I turned the water on again and reached for the lavender scented bubble bath mixture.

_This is supposed to be relaxing_, I accused.

Thinking better of it, I emptied the entire bottle into the fresh water pooling into the tub.

As I was sitting there with bubbles glistening off my skin, I glanced at the bottom of the tub to admire the water beginning to pool. While staring at the water, my eyes happened to stray to my feminine area in alarm. The sight of it screamed up at me, because I had completely forgotten what I had done to it yesterday.

Why did I decide to mess around with that bikini trimmer kit?

_Because you were curious,_ came my snickering thoughts.

I covered myself with my hands, as if there was an audience staring at me.

_Gr, this is Valon's fault! I just had to play around with that kit because it was sitting there in one of the bags I had packed, and now I had this – this – retarded landing strip! What the hell am I going to do?_ I groaned.

_Maybe he won't notice_, I reasoned. He might just be in a hurry again and go at it like he's done all the other times. _It's not like he's really interested in getting me naked. He only wanted one particular area bare..._

And that's the area that I'm staring at right now!

_Maybe I should just shave it all off and let it grow out correctly. My area down there looks kind of funny with just that small patch of hair._

But then it'll be completely naked down there!

Pursing my lips, I stood up and the gathering water splashed around my feet. Stepping out from the tub, I crossed over to bathroom shelf and grabbed all the available bath products. I dumped a box of cherry blossom bath beads into the tub. The beads fell from the box with a loud hiss and mixed with the aroma of the bubble bath water. I kept adding product after product, trying to create something that would calm my crazy thoughts.

"That might be too much," I mumbled after ten minutes.

There were candles surrounding the tub and flickering with the air pouring from the vent. The tub was brewing with bubbles and the aroma was strong. Heavy steam wafted up from the waters and I lifted an eyebrow.

It looked like I was preparing an underwater burial for a mermaid.

Frowning down at the water, I debated on soaking in that odd concoction I had created. It not be safe to sit in water that was mixed with a dozen types of chemicals. I might get a rash in my sensitve areas.

In the end, I decided to immerse myself with cooking. Food always helped when I was stressed, too.

* * *

Hiei hadn't expected his sparring match with Yusuke to last several hours, but the two men had been too stubborn to quit. It wasn't until an ogre managed to track Yusuke down with several messages from an irate Keiko about missing the dinner reservation he had set up for seven-thirty that Yusuke declared defeat to rush home.

It happened to be eleven o' clock when they stopped fighting.

Hiei had walked calmly throughout the building, ignoring the ogres that chased after him to shout about all the meetings he had missed. None of the meetings had been too important today and right now, he had other things on his mind.

When he passed through the portal and entered into the abandoned warehouse in Tokyo, Hiei casually checked his surroundings. No one was around and Yusuke's car was gone.

Quickly, Hiei disappeared and reappeared next to his car. Karen had only snapped at him once for being late. The only thing she asked was that he call her if he should ever be late for dinner. One glance at the dwindling time told him that he was way past dinner time and he had forgotten to call his woman. He checked his phone, wondering if there would be a miss call, but there was nothing.

He didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad sign.

A part of his old self cursed loudly at his soft ways for worrying about whether or not his mate was angry at his absence from dinner. Yet, Hiei pushed it aside. He had already told himself that he was allowed to grow softer with his mate. He had spent too many hours telling himself to act differently around Karen and he didn't need the reminder of what his cold attitude had done to her a week ago. And, Hiei didn't think it was wise to start off with a fight tonight given that he planned on taking her for the first time since they reconciled.

But it might help. They had always clashed heatedly during a fight. It seemed to liven things up and she had a temper that he alone appeared to be able to draw out.

Throwing his phone onto the empty seat next to him, he started the car and brushed off his musings.

His eyes were half-lidded with fatigue from over exerting himself against Yusuke, but he guided the car steadily. He felt as if the car was barely moving, but the speedometer screamed at him. There was a time when he was able to run about where ever he wanted to go, but he had to adapt to this world. He had had to adjust to using this car since his mate started wearing those skirts. It was a wise decision. Hiei wouldn't want to flash even more of her skin to the male pedestrians. As long as he ignored the trapped feeling of the interior of the car, he was fine with driving the cursed automobile.

Hiei's body was shutting down with the lack of energy coursing through him and a few times he had to jerk himself awake. Pulling into the driveway of the new house, he left the car and walked slowly up to the door. His fingers fumbled with the keys and he growled at himself. He shouldn't have gotten carried away with that detective. He was losing focus!

Pushing the door open, he was greeted with silence. The smell of food was in the air, but it was faded, as if it had been hovering in the air for a long time. His eyes narrowed tiredly in the darkness of the house. He didn't catch her scent on the first floor, but his senses were dulled by the intense spar from earlier. She must be upstairs.

He entered the kitchen and the counter was covered with several containers. The Bistro table in the corner had smalls bowls set out for dinner, but the kitchen lights were off. Hiei crossed over to the counter and peeked down at the covered dishes.

Karen didn't usually cook this much, but there was some of everything. Hiei thought it odd that she would prepare several different main course meals and leave them out in the dark kitchen. Not only that, but it appeared to him that the food had been sitting out for a long time. Was she doing this on purpose, to make him feel guilty for being late for dinner by deliberately keeping the food out in the open like this? If she was, then she was being ridiculous, Hiei thought darkly. He wasn't that soft to go feeling guilty over her work. If she wanted to waste food, then it would be her fault, not his.

Still, he lifted the lid off a container. It was Cajun ribs. He grunted in appreciation and took one out to quickly eat. Famished from his fight, he went through each container just poking about and mindlessly eating.

When he was finished, he made the effort to climb up the stairs. His vision was swimming, but now wasn't the time to hibernate. He needed... a shower. That would wake him.

Stripping off his clothes, he set the temperature for the water. His nose wrinkled at the heavily perfumed air within the bathroom and he glanced over at the tub. It was sparkling clean, but the scent hit him in the face. He didn't like it. It was too strong.

As he waited for the water to heat up, he unwound the bandages from his arm and flexed his hand beneath the light from the ceiling. His hand and arm were burning, but it was not charred. His dragon's inky form stared up at him and he scowled.

After all this time, he was still having trouble with his dragon. Over the past few months, he had trained extensively with it against demons that could afford to be dead. It was not co-operating with any of his commands despite his punishments against it. He had some control, enough to keep his dragon roaring through the air and avoiding idiots like Yusuke that were fighting him down below, but only for so much time.

He continued to stare down at the dragon, letting the steam from the shower gather in the air. His eyes hardened into focus and the tattoo began to fade from his skin. He had noticed that in Human World, his dragon would disappear from view. It wasn't gone. It was simply hidden from sight. In Demon World, his dragon was more alive and darkened greatly against his lighter skin.

It was his body's way of adapting to this world's environment, or rather, give him the tools to blend in among his prey. He didn't eat human souls. He hadn't for many years. Hiei had weened himself off the need to feed off souls once the source of humans in Demon World began dwindling years ago, but his body continued to adapt.

He had noticed the changes in his body. It was especially more noticeable when he was traveling between worlds. The slit of his jagan was absent in Human World. Most of the time, he didn't even notice his third eye. The sun didn't even bother it here in this world, but in Demon World it was different. His eye wanted to open in Demon World, as it sensed the multitude of auras that thrived in that world, which was why he kept his headband on to keep the eye closed.

Even his fangs were absent in this world, but he knew from experience that they did appear during his nocturnal activities in the bedroom. It had been easy to keep his fangs hidden from the human women he had taken before Karen, but she was different. He was going to have to be careful to keep from nipping at her skin too hard. Hiei had been too driven on instinct for his fangs to appear the first two times he had taken her, but he could feel them growing over the past few days.

He was responding too heavily to his mate's innocent advances, which was why he needed to keep in check of himself. Hiei knew she could handle his rough advances well enough, but he would rather saved those times for later once she grew used to him.

Thinking of his mate, his tongue flicked against the tip of an emerging fang. He closed his eyes briefly to calm himself and the fang shrank away.

Ignoring the heavily perfumed air and his thoughts, Hiei stepped into the steaming shower. He braced his hands against the tiled wall and stood under the hot water cascading over his aching muscles.

The sound of the water hitting the tiled floor beneath his feet was lulling him to sleep, but he busied himself with scrubbing his body clean. The water felt too good. The water was hot, beating the tired knots out from beneath his skin. He leaned his forehead against the wall, allowing his bangs to hang in front of his eyes.

He had dozed heavily for two minutes until the air unit kicked on from overhead. Shaking his head, he twisted the faucets off and nearly staggered out of the stall. He grabbed a towel that his mate considerately thought to stock the bathroom with before he came home and roughly dried his hair. He wiped down quickly, but already his skin was absorbing the water. He was dried within seconds.

His clothes were in the bedroom and he headed that way tiredly with heavy footsteps. The stretch of hallway to the bedroom seemed to take forever. The walls were spinning around him, but he pushed through his fatigue.

Hiei was ready to enter the bedroom until he realized that he wasn't wearing anything. Normally, he wouldn't care. This was his house now, but he thought of his too innocent woman and sighed heavily. Luckily, he had his towel with him. It was dragging onto the floor and he didn't know why he had carried it with him in the first place. Shrugging, he wrapped the terry cloth around his waist and entered the bedroom.

There on the bed was a snoozing Karen. She was dressed in shorts and a shirt that sported flour and sauce stains on the front. His mate was sprawled atop the bed, as if she had literally 'hit the sack'. She didn't even make it onto a pillow or beneath the comforter. He could hear the soft puffs of deep sleep passing through her parted lips. There was nothing feminine about her sleeping position, but it was amusing. She was practically dead to the world and Hiei was grateful that she didn't snore.

Hiei didn't know why, but the sight of her caused the corners of his lips to tip up. Without bothering to dress, he slouched over to the bed and fell down beside her into a deep slumber.

* * *

"Ah, sir, you don't have to worry about waiting to go through the check-out process. You've been vouched for and you're free to go home."

Kuwabara's eyebrows lifted in surprise. He peered down at the shorter SDF guard, giving a look of disbelief. "Mind telling me who vouched for me?"

The guard pressed a few buttons onto the keyboard, but his computer screen came up with nothing. "I apologize, but there is no given name. However, Lord Koenma assured me that you are free to leave. He said to go home to your wife. Perhaps, Lord Koenma began the process? It takes time for the name to appear in our records. It's just a slow day."

Glancing upward, Kuwabara scratched at the fuzz growing along his chin. He needed to get home and shave. This facial hair was itchy as hell, even though he felt kind of suave with it, but Yukina probably wouldn't like it.

He wondered who would take the time to clear through his paperwork for checking out. The process usually took forever, but clearly someone was kind enough to put it through while he had been delivering Team Two's work to Captain Otake. _It probably was Koenma,_ he mused inside his head. He must have been feeling generous today.

"If you'd like, I'll ask around for you, sir."

"No, that's fine. I'm out."

It had been months since he had driven a car, but Kuwabara maneuvered the car easily through the streets of Tokyo. He pushed through traffic with a rumbling stomach. The radio was loud within his car and filled with odd news. It felt strange to be hearing the radio after the months of traveling through Demon World. It was kind of creepy. He turned off the radio.

Once he reached a familiar part of the city, he turned down one of the nicer and less crowded areas of Tokyo. Houses littered each side of the street, but he kept driving until he reached a lovely house with flowers coloring the front of the home in small well-kept bushes.

Grabbing his traveling bag from the back of the car, he shut the door. As he turned around to head up the driveway, the front door slammed open. He gave a goofy smile when an elegant, red-eyed woman came running up to meet him. Kuwabara barely had time to catch the koorime that went flying into his arms, because he had been too busy admiring her beauty. He crushed the smaller woman to him and inhaled the shampoo from her hair, enjoying the soft, womanly curves pressing against his front.

Yukina wrapped her legs around Kuwabara's waist and planted quick kisses against his face, ignoring the bristle of his developing beard. Kuwabara tried a few times to tell Yukina that he missed her, but she was too busy cutting him off with breathless kisses. He gave up after a particular kiss had him stumbling back with a groan.

"In the house," demanded Yukina with the edge of a growl. Their eyes met and Kuwabara saw her half-lidded, darkened gaze. "Now."

Shizuru came strolling out of the house and headed for Kuwabara's car. She twisted the extra set of keys around her finger. Without looking at Kuwabara, she gave him a choppy wave over her shoulder as she passed him.

"Hey, bro," greeted Shizuru.

Kuwabara made a halfhearted attempt to glance over his shoulder to answer, but Yukina captured his chin with her hand. His insides twisted violently at his wife's hazy expression.

Maybe Shizuru would stay at a hotel tonight...

"Bye, bro."

Shizuru got into his car, slipped on her sunglasses, and blasted the music. Driving off, she left Kuwabara to stumble into the house with his beautiful wife.

* * *

In celebration for the arrival of the entire group, Yusuke had suggested that the group attend the carnival that had arrived in Hakone. It had been years since Yusuke had been to any carnival. He almost felt like an old man strolling about with all the younger couples running about with clasped hands and sexually charged hormones. The sight of the younger generation brought about memories of the fair he had taken Keiko to when they were both eighteen.

If memory served him correctly, he had had a rather enjoyable experience with Keiko during the Ferris Wheel ride.

Stopping in the middle of the busiest part of the fair, Yusuke was admiring the various entertainment stands when he caught sight of a couple making out against the alley wall between two stalls.

He was recalling the many lust-filled dates he had shared with Keiko during their early years when they had been trying to get to know one another again after his lengthy absence to Demon World. Yusuke couldn't remember the last time he kissed Keiko so fiercely, as the young couple before his eyes were doing now. He was almost jealous of the young man cupping a feel of –

_The hell_, cursed Yusuke with wide eyes. That was Kenji!

Yusuke suddenly grinned and fist-pumped silently, as he cheered the young man on in his rather vibrant make-out session with some young pretty woman.

There was a cluck of a tongue to his right and his eyes narrowed at the sound of it. He recognized that annoyed sound and he turned to face his wife with a serious expression.

She wasn't looking at him. Keiko had been giving him the silent treatment since their disastrous fight the other night when he had stood Keiko up at the restaurant. Yusuke didn't know how many apologies he had screamed, but he had uttered enough that his dick was nearly non-existant. At one point, he even shuffled after her while on his knees. Now try doing that while going up the stairs.

But Keiko was still pissed at him.

"I said sorry, didn't I?" stated Yusuke when she made the noise again. He was half turned to Keiko and giving her a pleading look.

"Yes, many hours later." She finally muttered. "You didn't even call to tell me you were going to be late!" Keiko crossed her arms. "I was sitting in that restaurant for nearly two hours. Do you know what that felt like?"

_Great_, grumbled Yusuke when he heard her sniffle. The pregnancy hormones were kicking in again, as they seemed to do every hour of the day. He could see the tears gathering in her large, brown eyes. He reached out to touch her shoulder, but she turned away with a breathy huff.

Smashing his fists into his pockets, Yusuke stood behind her with a scowl. He knew she was trying to keep from crying because their friends were all around them and enjoying the carnival, which was why he was giving her some space.

Karen and Hiei were close by admiring a stand with displays of artwork. Karen was chatting away while the demon followed behind her silently. Kurama was buying Shizuru a water, keeping extremely close to Shizuru, as the crowd of women eyed him eagerly. His eyes strayed over to Kuwabara and Yukina where the two lovebirds were sitting on wooden bench and whispering to one another with bright eyes.

It seemed like everyone around them was in good spirits except for them.

Yusuke eyes slid over to his wife that was half-turned to him and he cringed inwardly. He hated seeing her like this, with her pretty lips trembling and eyes glassy from the on-coming tears.

"Keiko," Yusuke warned with exasperation. "Don't cry, okay? Not in front of everyone."

_Ouch__, wrong thing to say_, he thought guiltily. She shrugged away from his hands with an angry hiss.

"Don't tell me not to cry! You don't know how I'm feeling!" Yusuke's eyes flew over to their friends, checking to see if they had heard her outburst. It was another wrong move. She narrowed her eyes at him, feeling hurt and even more angry.

"You haven't stood me up since you told me to save you a seat at the movie house when we were fourteen! What was it this time, huh?" She poked a finger into his chest and he winced. He hated it when she did that, because she always knew where to find the tender spot on his chest. "Was Toguro paying you a visit again?"

"I told you I lost track of time!"

"Ooh-wah," she hissed in aggravation. "I'm going home!"

"Hey, Hey, HEY, KEIKO!" Jerking Keiko to a stop, Yusuke spun her around to face him. "I'm here with you, okay?"

Yusuke really didn't feel like fighting tonight. He just wanted to stop this and enjoy tonight. They could argue all day tomorrow if that was what she wanted, but not tonight. He'd even take the day off tomorrow and let him slap his face until he couldn't feel his cheeks.

Dipping his head to capture Keiko's watery gaze with his own steady brown eyes, Yusuke placed a finger under her chin. He lifted her face up, speaking softly. "Stay with me, tonight, alright? Just... just forget about all this." She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off with a quick kiss. "Just for tonight, okay? Now c'mon, what do you want?" He led her over to a game stall and pointed at the stuff animals, trying to push aside their fight. "I'll win you something, anything!"

Sometimes, Yusuke did alright with his woman. He knew that she was a sucker for his eyes when he made them wide and goofy looking. If the sun was out, he might have even been able to make them sparkle. Yusuke purposely made his lips a tad pouty to soften her anger. It was working. He saw Keiko's lips tip up briefly and her eyes slid to the side to keep him from seeing her amusement.

Then, she lifted a hand and pointed at a large, fuzzy penguin dangling above them.

"That?" he asked. "Cool!" He clapped his hands with determination. "One penguin coming up!"

Paying the necessary money to play the game, Yusuke grabbed the ball that the game man offered and began winding up. He only had one shot to knock down the entire set of bottles if he was going win that big fat penguin. After a thorough winding, he let the ball fly...

It knocked down one bottle.

"Fuck," he hissed.

From a couple of feet away, there was the sound of bottles breaking. He turned to the side with a raised eyebrow and cursed again.

"Here you go, sir," the man said while handing Hiei a huge stuffed hippopotamus.

Without a word, Hiei handed the animal to a gleeful Karen and she set the hippo atop her shoulders, as if she were carrying a kid. The couple disappeared into the crowd, but Karen's purple hippo towered over everyone's head.

"Here's your prize!"

Yusuke turned back to the game man and took the tiny stuffed snake that he was offered. His fingers wrapped cruelly around the snake's midsection and it's tongue darted out in a wriggling dance.

"Hell no, let me try again." He pushed a hand roughly into his pocket to whip out his wallet. "I ate popcorn earlier, so my fingers are buttery. Babe, hold my snake!"

Behind him, Keiko had her head thrown back and was howling with laughter.

"What?" asked Yusuke at his wife's ever-changing emotions.

"Y-You suck!"

* * *

"If you want a haircut, all you have to do is ask." Shizuru told an annoyed Kurama, as he shook his head to get his bangs out of his face. "Maybe then you'll allow me to walk more than five feet away from you."

Kurama eyed the handful of women admiring him from the crowd. They kept whispering to one another, wondering if he was in some sort of boy band. The only reason he wasn't being tackled left and right was because Shizuru gave off a powerful and threatening aura with her long-legged appearance and cool attitude.

"This happened before my hair was, as you put it, 'wild'."

"You should wear eyeliner, then even I can't save you from being smothered."

Kurama gave the woman beside him a chilling look, but she only smirked.

"Or not." Looking away, she spotted the man next to her lighting up a cigarette. She had kicked the cancer stick habit nearly a year ago, but being this close to the smell of nicotine made her mouth dry. "Merely a suggestion though, Red."

"Do you want to move," whispered Kurama into her ear.

The sound of his lowered voice triggered a memory from years ago of the hazy night between them involving lots of alcohol during the fox's twentieth human birthday. Quickly, the blurry night faded and she nodded once the man beside her blew out a lungful of smoke.

"I never did tell you that you look beautiful tonight, Shizuru." Kurama turned toward her and slowly allowed his eyes to move over her body, taking in the long, full length skirt she was wearing. When he met her eyes again, his lips tipped up into a smile. "Except your hair," he reached up and pushed back a stray strand from her fashionable braided bun. "I favor it down. However, still stunning."

Shizuru felt like snorting, but simply glance away to admire the carnival rides around them. "I haven't heard that since I turned twenty."

"A lie." Shizuru raised an eyebrow at the taller man. "I do remember paying a similar compliment to you a few years ago."

"I was under the impression that you did not remember that night and that we were going to forget what had occurred between us on said night."

"My memory was blurry, but my hearing was completely in tune to that night." Kurama looked away casually to watch the crowd. Lowering his voice, he murmured loud enough only for her ears, "you wanted to forget that night and you were the one that avoided me for months. I did try, Shizuru."

"'_We were just the victims of a drunken one night stand, let's not get carried away with anything more_'."

Ah," Kurama sighed. "Quoted so dearly from that day. It brings fond memories of when you slammed the door in my face. You do know how to make a heart ache, Shizuru."

Giving a small grin, Shizuru fixed Kurama with her eyes. "I didn't slam the door. I shut it firmly."

"I acquired an injured foot from such a firmly shut door. To this day, it even throbs a bit when it rains. I think of you when that happens."

Shizuru laughed quietly, but decided to avoid their past. Nodding her head at a nearby roller coaster, she said, "well, I think its time for another ride. You do owe me."

Kurama caught the eyes of the passing women and shivered at the wicked gleam in their eyes. He sighed. "Yes, it seems I do, but does it have to be another one of these rides?"

"I like the big rides." She made her way to the line for her chosen ride. "If you're frightened, you can hold my hand again."

"I'll take you up on that offer."

* * *

After two hours, the group had dispersed to different parts of the carnival. I wasn't particularly fond of the rides that Shizuru had convinced me to join her on and my head was still somewhat dizzy. I had no idea where everyone was at, but I was enjoying my time with admiring all the different stalls of food, games, and items.

Stopping at the large fountain on the west side of the carnival event, I set my hippo down onto a bench.

"What are you going to do with that ridiculously large toy that you keep lugging around?"

I glanced at the toy Hiei had won and smiled. "I think I'll save it for the baby."

"A spoiled brat already," he commented.

The only other person that knew of the baby's gender beside me was Hiei. I had told him, knowing that he wouldn't say a word to anyone else. Plus, telling him allowed me to share the secret with another individual to avoid going crazy.

Listening to the water splashing behind us, I glanced over at a stand that was selling daiquiris. I wasn't an alcoholic. I was, however, curious at what the stuff tasted like. I saw a man pass near us carrying one of the drinks. It was a red slush-like drink and I thought of my snow cone from the other night.

I lowered my eyes and placed my hands behind my back. Turning to Hiei, I gazed up at him beneath my eyelashes. "Hiei, could I... have one of those drinks?"

Hiei looked over my shoulder to the drink stand in questioned and grunted. His answer made me smile and I cheered inwardly at being able to try something new. I glanced over at my hippo, but he was safe where he was in this almost deserted area of the town's event. Who was going to steal a hippo?

Following Hiei, I waited patiently while he ordered my drink. The perk of having an older boyfriend – er – mate, husband... whatever, was that I was able to have him purchase alcohol for me. I wasn't going to abuse the power. Hiei didn't seem to care if I was underage, but I knew he wouldn't let me drink too much. I'm sure if it were anyone else, they'd gasp, but I just wanted to try it.

With my drink in hand, we headed back to my lonely hippo. I sat down on the bench and poked at my drink with my straw. It was a frozen strawberry daiquiri. I gave a little sniff before taking a drink of the slushy drink.

"Mm," I moaned.

This was delicious!

After a lengthy gulp, I held the drink out to him. Lowering his head, Hiei captured the straw between his lips and took a sip.

"That's a bit strong." He leaned away from me and turned back to people watching. "Don't drink it too fast."

"Okay."

I'm glad Yusuke suggested this fair, because an evening of fun and games was needed after my stressful worrying yesterday. Today, I felt more relaxed. I think I exhausted myself too much with all the running, bathing, and cooking, because I had ended up sleeping for sixteen hours straight. I probably would have slept more if Hiei's phone hadn't gone off with a shrill and he had snapped awake with only a towel around his waist. I barely managed to sneak in a kiss with him this morning before he left for Spirit World.

Tonight, though, I was just happy to be spending the evening with Hiei at my side. Just like this, sitting on a bench and drinking a delicious daiquiri.

I continued to smash my drink with the straw and sip over the next half hour. I made idle conversation with Hiei about mindless things like food and Yusuke's horrible baseball throwing skills.

"It might have been popcorn," I defended.

"No, it was that stupid 'winding up' act he did that resulted in his crappy award."

I wrinkled my nose. "Why would they give away snakes as prizes anyways? I don't find them cute."

"And that hippo is?"

"Yes, because it's chubby."

Done with my drink, I gave it to Hiei and he tossed the cup into a bin several feet away. I thought it was amazing the way Hiei always knew where the trashcan was when we were out. I also enjoyed watching him throw my trash away so casually, without even having to look where he was throwing the trash.

A dozen gasps tore through the air, disrupting my thoughts. I glanced around in alarm with frightened eyes. The area around us lit up and I turned my gaze up to the sky. Little dots scattered up into the evening sky, but before they could disappear, a series of 'cackles' and 'pops' split the air. My mouth fell open in surprise at the streak of colors that burst from the noise.

I watched the firework show excitedly, picking out my favorite designs from the bright lights. There was particular star-shaped one that I found breathtaking. It would flicker into several different colors and fall down in a shower.

Halfway through the show, I lowered my head to share my excitement with Hiei. When our eyes met, my smile faded at the look in his eyes. The fireworks continued to scream up in the air and lights kept illuminating our faces, but we never looked away from each other.

It burned. The look in his eyes burned deep into my body. I had felt a soft sort of fire over the past few days, but this was different. This was more raw and violent. It tore up from my insides and splashed over my skin. My heart was beating, not fast, but strong and steady. I could hear my heart inside my head. The noise drowned out the crowd's cheers and the roaring fireworks. They just went out without any fading whispers and I concentrated on the slowly thundering heartbeats.

With my heart drumming loudly, I continued to stare into Hiei's eyes. Gold streaks swam across his darkened, red pools and the colors twisted into a haunting glow. The fireworks reflected in his eyes and I watched them burst silently. The sky lit up, illuminating half his face and I licked my lower lip.

I wanted him.

And I knew that tonight, he would take me.

"I want to go home now," I whispered.

Grabbing my hand, he headed toward the parking lot. Before we had even taken five steps, I pulled away to run back to the bench. I snatched up my almost abandoned animal and hurried back to Hiei's side.

"Forgot the hippo," I explained when I reached for his hand again.

We hurried away from the carnival.

* * *

A/N: OKAY! I promise the next chapter will be your "special chapter". So I guess that's all the warning you get. You know what to and not to read, so there.

Thank you for all your reviews and I adore each and every one of you. Thanks to the lovely akasoeki for beta-reading! I'll probably be behind on an update or two after next week's special chapter, because akasoeki has busy plans and I could use some time off to read and recharge my brain!

**I finally posted my sister's version of Karen and akasoeki's dream house on deviant art.** Check it out! Also, as some of you are finding out, I've been doing daily snippets on my profile. It's just a sentence or two of where I am at with a chapter and even, possibly, spoiler hints for the story. I've been changing them out everyday for the last few days and already some of you are questioning my hints. But I shan't tell or I might - I don't know.

Love you and see you next week!


	47. In My Eyes

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

* * *

**A/N: So another warning... turn away if you don't like jelly donuts - er - I mean "lemons", but if you do, then read away. **

* * *

Chapter Forty-Seven: In My Eyes...

* * *

Silence is loud and thick. It has its own voice, where it calls sweetly to those that are awaiting something at the end of a hallway – beyond the crack of an open door – upon a bed in the gloom of the night.

To be frightened and excited at the same time was a twisted sensation that made me tremble.

Was this a beginning of a dream?

My eyes peered through the passenger side window to admire the evening sky. The further we drove from Hakone, the darker it appeared without the city's streetlamps. Soon, the traffic lessened until it was only our car speeding along in the darkness.

The air was heavy, weighed down by our mingled breathing and the energy emitting between us. It was charging through the atmosphere with a ferocity that had my skin rippling, as if fingernails were scraping the flesh tenderly to raise an army of goosebumps. I was almost in a pant, as if the very air was too thick to absorb into my mouth. My body was burning and tingling, just set on fire with that dangerously charged energy. I could even taste it, as it wrapped around my tongue with unyielding strength.

I kept my eyes to the side, avoiding Hiei entirely throughout the ride. I didn't want him to see how bothered I was by the sexual tension coiling up inside my body until it was strung taut like the string connecting piano keys. Just a flick of an ivory key would cause a reverberating hum all along the string, and such an effect might kill me.

The tension was aggravating and I kept shifting in my seat, unable to sit still in the darkness. All these sensations were colliding with one another in a silent battle, each one too stubborn to submit to the other, and it continued with lashing tongues layered with words of passion. Just a slight breeze could aggravate my suddenly sensitive skin into pain or pleasure, maybe a mixture of both, that would draw a tearful scream.

There was no moisture in my mouth and I kept wetting my lips, keeping them parted without really knowing why. My bra was constricting my breasts, causing my nipples to burn almost painfully. I crossed my arms, pressing them into my chest to lessen the ache inside me. A second later, I positioned a leg over my left knee, shifting more toward the window where my heated body tried to absorb the cold from the pane.

Fire licked at my neck, just begging for me to turn my head to meet the flames, but I fought against it. I knew that heat, had known it for many months, but I had enough practice to avoid the flames from capturing my soul. Still, the red heat of wicked beauty called for my attention with chilling whispers...

I shifted again in my seat.

A gentle hum beat upon the roof of the car and I saw drops of rain sliding along the window. A few minutes passed and the rumble of thunder pierced through the car's walls to alert us of the storm dancing up in the sky. I stared through the window to admire the thunderstorm that hung outside Tokyo City's perimiter. Lightning flashed in the distance and illuminated the ominous clouds above the approaching surburb neighborhood before us.

"Give me your phone."

Distracted by the in-coming storm, I was startled by Hiei's demand. Without question, I reached into my purse and pulled out the cell. In seconds, he turned off the device. I watched curiously as he did the same to his phone. I was ready to ask him what he was doing when he leaned over to open the glove compartment in front of my knees. A strangled sort of noise issued from my lips when the side of his hand grazed along the exposed flesh of my thighs. His hand was scalding hot and I shifted away automatically to keep from adding to the electricty already present inside of me.

After he threw the phones inside, I realized we were slowing down. The house loomed before us, standing proud against the storm in an almost eerie way. When the lightning lit up the sky, I saw the rain streaking forth from the ominous clouds. It was hitting the top of the car violently, drumming along to a sinister music of its own. The car trembled from another peal of thunder and I grabbed my purse with shaky hands.

I was immediately drenched from the onslaught of rain, and the thunder was even more deafening outside the car's shelter. The rain was hitting the concrete of the driveway in furious pelts where it sprang up in several directions to wet my legs. I hurried inside, jamming my own set of house keys into the lock. The door opened with the flash of another bright light of the storm.

Shivering from the cold rain and the heat coming off of the demon behind me, I set my purse on an end table. The water from my hair was chilling against my flushed skin and I wrung some of the water from the ends. I bit the inside of my cheek to quiet my shivers and focused on kicking off my flats. The shoes clattered loudly onto the mat next to the door.

Every act sounded too loud inside the house.

I shivered.

Silently, Hiei strode past me to turn off the air while I headed toward the kitchen.

My beating heart grew in volume with each step I took up the winding staircase. The banister railings felt like ice beneath my fingers, but it helped cool the heat soaring back into my skin from beneath the soaked clothes. I didn't bother turning on the lights. I knew where to go.

When I reached the bedroom, I stopped. I stared at the oak door, my eyes tracing the designs of the cracks in the wood with every strike of blue that slipped past the fabric of the curtains at the far end of the hallway. My hand trembled. I wanted to open the door, but I was frozen in the shadows of the hallway.

Not really understanding my actions, I turned around to walk away when I came face-to-face with a muscular chest. Drops of water were beaded onto the stretch of skin and slid down in a tantalizing way. They seemed to sizzle, drying up before they could make a full descent to the floor. The sound of something falling onto the wooden tiles beneath my feet tore my gaze away from Hiei's impressive chest. It was a drenched t-shirt and water was already pooling around it in a chilling puddle.

"Y-You should take those off, too," I stuttered beneath my breath while turning my attention to his bandaged arm.

Giving his arm my entire attention, I avoided his gaze to keep him from seeing the emotions swimming in my eyes. He seemed to be considering my request because several flashes of lightning struck before he moved. I watched quietly, observing the way he began unwinding the bandages. The gauze trailed down to the floor and created a swirling pile next to us.

His tattoo was dark as ever, seeming to blur to life with the rapid flickering of light seeping in from the windows. It stared up at me with a hissing laugh until it vanished. I gasped quietly. I would have questioned him, but my mouth was too dry. My voice was lodged somewhere in my throat.

"Cold?" asked Hiei near the top of my head.

I stared back at his chest.

"Nervous?"

I trembled at his question.

Hiei stepped forward and I responded by backing up against the door. He trapped me there against the door with his body and his warmth enveloped me. He was such a large man with nothing but muscles beneath his taut skin that flexed with his every breath. I felt the hardness of his chest, his beaded nipples, and the solid wall of abdominal muscles pushing up against my stomach.

He breathed with me, or maybe he was breathing for me, because my head was pounding, as if the oxygen in my blood had stopped flowing.

... Am I still in reality?

Cupping my cheeks, he lifted my face up and stared down into my eyes. "Why are you so shy now?"

Hiei's face loomed above me, drowning out the view of the lightning from the hall window. His eyes were narrowed heatedly, swimming with lust as violent as the storm raging outside the walls around us. I eyed the way his pupils dilated, making the crimson of his irises stand out even more. It was the look of a predator towering above its prey. My lips parted at his hard expression into an almost soft moan and I turned my eyes downward to his own mouth.

"I want you." My voice was a broken rasp, quivering through the words.

A small part of me wanted to run and I was ashamed of it. This fear should fade. I want it to fade. But these flaring cinders are holding on too tightly, promising things I could not walk away from, and I knew if I accepted the warmth, that there would be no turning back from it.

It was the intensity of the situation that was frightening me – the echoing question of what can I expect tonight?

"Hiei," I whispered, resenting myself for voicing my fears. "I'm scared."

"I won't hurt you."

Warm breath fanned across my cheek, drying the water that had fallen from my dripping bangs. His lips replaced his breath and the rough feeling of his slightly chapped lips was wonderful against my skin.

"You know that, don't you?" My eyes fluttered open and a small whimper escaped from me at the crooning words. "Don't be scared of me, Karen. I won't ever hurt you again. I promised you, remember?"

_'I want you to remember how you felt just then.'_

His words from many months ago resounded around me. I tried to focus on the memory, make myself bring about the excitement of our intense situation upon the cold temple floor where I had molded myself to him in a sudden heat of passion.

"It won't be like the other times. It's never going to be like that again." His seductive words rolled off his tongue and straight into my ear. Drunkenly, I stared at his shoulder, as his lips brushed against my ear, tongue darting out to taste a fleshy lobe. "Let me show you. I can show you."

His voice was mesmerizing, like the low roar of ocean waves against a stormy bank. It was as if there was a tremble of a growl beneath his voice that reached down inside of me to wrap enchantingly around my quivering heart. Commands could flow easily from such a captivating voice and I knew that whatever he asked, I'd try desperately to please him. If he would just keep... speaking... like... that...

I met his eyes.

I'd do anything.

Reaching up, I wrapped my hands around his wrists and leaned in for a kiss. But Hiei wouldn't kiss me just yet. He wanted to tease me into his games, entice me to play – the games where he knew the rules and I was forced to find out from him.

Hiei tilted his face downward and the pads of his thumbs brushed along the tops of my cheekbones. Long, slender fingers spread out across my cheeks, warming the skin and reaching into my damp hair to dry the strands with a heated touch. Sliding his nose against mine, he exhaled deeply and his breath fluttered through the slit of his lips. I inhaled shakily and his breath filled my mouth, like a type of smoke that trailed all the way down to my toes.

He fed me his breaths for many moments, fanning the flames inside my body until they began to streak upwards. Then, his lips pressed against mine. So soft. So warm. I nearly moaned at how gently he parted his lips to capture my lower lip, drawing it in with a husky groan. His mouth moved slowly and heatedly against mine to coax me into a gasp. Opening my mouth, I sighed shakily into him. My tongue curled around his own, making my pulse spike in quickened beats to the throbbing of my lower half.

Hiei always tasted so exotic and raw, something powerful that penetrated into the deep recesses of my mind. I loved the way he tasted, how his flavor flooded into the cavern of my mouth. His tongue was dominating, as he was with everything. I need that dominance to guide me and soothe away my fears. I wanted his taste to stay on my tongue, for him to brand me with his fire.

I clutched tighter to his wrists when his thigh nudged between my own and pressed up beneath my dress. At the contact, I arched against him with a muffled sob against his lips. Hiei kept the pace of his thigh exquisitely slow that I released my hold on his wrists to press my nails against the door behind me, afraid that I would claw too deeply into his skin. His heavy knee added just the right amount of pressure and I gave in with a quivering moan.

Free now of my hold, he reached around to the zipper at my back. The metal teeth hissed along my spine icily all the way to my lower back. Hiei licked at the tips of my shoulders, slid the straps down my arms, and soothed me with his burning hands. The drenched fabric bit into my skin, but he took his time in lowering the dress – to playfully free me from these constricting barriers. Once it was completely off and lying on the floor, he leaned away to let his eyes roam the length of my body.

"I didn't take the time to undress you before," he murmured in the murky hall. "I've regretted it, because there were a few things I was pondering about you."

"L-Like what?"

Hiei's lips tipped up at one corner with a cackle of thunder and he hooked a finger into the front clasp of my bra. Expertly, he unhooked the bra with one hand, something I would probably never be able to do no matter how hard I practiced, and I inhaled sharply when my brassiere sprang away from my chest. It just popped open, my breasts springing free for his viewing. His finger trailed down the valley between my breasts in a lazy manner and I sucked in my breath. The air hurt, as if I had inhaled ash.

"Like the color of these."

I didn't know what he was talking about until he trapped a shell pink nipple inbetween the v-shaped groove of two of his fingers. Electicity shot up my spine and I bit harshly at my lower lip to keep from screaming. Hiei's eyes met mine again and he removed the rest of my bra, letting it fall to the ground.

It felt as if I was watching in slow motion when he cupped my breasts, lifting them so they filled his large palms. He gave a low groan, as if he were admiring something priceless he couldn't afford, but desperately needed. The already throbbing sensations throughout my body intensified and I pressed back even further into the door. It was hurting – my nipples. They tightened painfully, sending jolts of prickling aches. He just held them there like that, weighing them in his calloused palms and enjoying the sight of my heaving chest.

His head was bending down when I snapped out of my sluggish mind. I tried to yell out a protest against anymore of these brutal vibes he was causing, but he was too quick.

My head thudded back against the oak door with a clap of thunder and a series of blinding white-blue light. The sound of the crack in the sky nearly deafened me. It roared inside my head, like a beast – a dragon – his dragon.

I lifted my hands up to his hair and dug my fingers into his scalp at the swirl of his tongue. He moved away with another one of those sexy groans and placed open-mouthed kisses along the fleshy mound. My hands remained in his hair, following his movements, as his mouth travelled to the other breast. A fanged tooth scraped along the tip of my nipple before he pulled it into his mouth to suckle deeply.

A breathless whine fluttered up from my lips at the feeling of his mouth. My mind was spinning at what he was doing. He kept sucking hungrily at me and my hips angled against him, moving of their own accord. I was practically on my toes, trying to push myself even higher for the lash of his tongue.

Hiei's hand trailed down my stomach, stopping briefly at my navel to poke inside almost humorously because I jerked at the tingly feeling. My choked moan gave him a soft scolding and I could feel him smirking around my nipple. His teeth bit into the tender bud, causing a loud hiss to slip between my teeth.

Continuing his path, Hiei's hand dipped beneath the band of my panties. I was writhing against him, unconsciously pushing myself up toward his gliding fingertips. His fingers ghosted downward softly before stopping.

"Didn't think I could find you?" he asked with a raspy chuckle when he lifted his head.

Blinking my eyes open, I peered up at him in erotic confusion. I didn't understand what he was asking until he traced the small patch of hair down below with the tip of his nail. My brows furrowed worriedly and I opened my mouth to explain what had happened, but he cut me off with a sensual nip to the side of my mouth.

"I believe I can find you just fine," he muttered against my lips. "I want you completely natural. You don't have to go through that trouble for me."

I turned my eyes downward to watch his hand, as he continued to trace the pattern of hair teasingly. Before he moved down further, he encircled my throat with his other hand and tilted my face up with his thumb. He held me there to keep our eyes locked heatedly, imprisoning me even more against the door. I would have been somewhat embarrassed at the moistness down below, but he seemed enthralled by it with how his eyes darkened fiercly the lower his fingers went to massage me carefully.

I couldn't believe how he was touching me, the way his fingers traced along the outside with exquisite gentleness. I knew what his hands were capable of, how easily he could bring about one's death with just a flick of his fingers. Yet, he was caressing me with extreme care. It was light, but ferociously hot, burning me into a trembling mewls.

He was speaking quietly into my ear with words that I couldn't quite comprehend. He must know how much I loved his voice, the deep raspy undertone of it, because he kept muttering soothingly down at me. It was driving me wild with the way he whispered my name, which seemed to be only thing I could grasp onto in my trembling state.

The storm was raging louder than ever and a particularly bright flash of lightning zipped down the hall to light up Hiei's face above me. It was like a dream, such a pleasant, beautiful dream and he was the dark angel sent down to sway me toward darkness. I would gladly leap toward such a path just to keep his attention on me forever – no Spirit World, Demon World, Cain, or anyone – just me.

A moan trickled from my lips and wild pants tore from my open mouth. I made to close my eyes at the pleasure building up inside me, as it was too tense to keep my eyes open in such bliss. Squeezing his hand a bit, he silently demanded my eyes to remain open. Hiei was watching me intensely, as if he was awaiting for something to pass across my face. He was watching my every expression, of how my face contorted into mind-numbing pleasure.

It was haunting.

Surely, these sensations couldn't get any stronger. It was an astounding amount of pleasure and so severe that it bordered on pain. I was still aching, needing more of whatever he was causing. Every stroke against my center was causing my body to writhe against him with half choked moans. I couldn't get in enough air to pass through my lips, but the storm outside answered for me. The wind howled, wailing through the cracks of the windows to dance over our act.

My hand was moving on its own and settled on the outside of my panties covering the back of his hand. He gave a growl of approval and used his knee to spread my legs even further. He pressed even more into me, using his upper thigh to push my hand against his for added guidance and pressure into his ministrations.

Without warning, a lean finger slid between my folds and a gasp-like cry tore from my lips. I wanted him to kiss me, but he kept his lips hovering mere millimeters above mine. His finger slid in easily, past the first knuckle, then the next, and I could hardly stand anymore of this passionate torment. The gentle pumping of his finger caused ragged moans to erupt from my throat and his mouth hovered over mine to breath them in greedily.

"There's no one here, Karen," he breathed above me when I kept biting my lip to lock away any vibrant moans. "I want you screaming for me." I shivered at his rough voice. "I know you want to."

Moving against his hand, I fought desperately to heed his demand. My nails dug into his shoulders, but my lungs couldn't work up anything more than soft cries. I just wanted to find release, because it was becoming unbearable. All the nerve endings in my body twisted in agony, but whatever it was that it was searching for seemed too far away and out of my reach. It wasn't enough. I couldn't reach it.

I need it.

I need him.

For days I had dwelt with the humming energy in the lower part of my stomach, where it festered every time he would walk away from me. I kept trying and trying to seek him out, but there was always someone else or an important matter that took him away from me. Now that I had him, I still couldn't put out this fire.

"I can't," I gasped up into his mouth. "Hiei, I can't... I'm... I'm not going to be able to." I didn't know what I was trying to say or if he would even understand my frustration, but I had to try. "Hiei it's burning so much, but I can't." I felt my knees buckle at my admission, as if my body were going to give up and just let this fire consume it without finding something to douse the flames. "I can't," I moaned with my suffering.

My eyes widened when he suddenly removed his hand, leaving my lower half to scream with need. The heat coursing through my veins and the throb between my legs had me clutching desperately to him. It was almost like lava just erupting through me and it just kept spreading and spreading. It was the strong need of want and it burned painfully to be satisfied.

"P-Please, Hiei!" I pleaded. I was almost in tears at the sensations pulsing through my body. "Don't stop, please –"

"I'm not," he hissed down at me.

Lifting me up against him, he kicked the door open. The oak door flew off the hinges and slid along the floor. It stopped in the middle of the room. The sex appeal coming off of him was causing my head to pound. His alpha strength was calling to me and I acknowledge it with a low purring moan.

The bedroom was even more illuminated with the flashes of lightning, because I had forgotten to close the curtains. Blue lights flickered off of the furniture within the room and created a blinding pattern around me. I could hear the rain slapping against the windows, begging to come inside the room.

As he walked across the room, I threaded my fingers into his hair and kissed him deliriously. My lips trailed down to the curve of his chin to suck there on his skin and I was breathing harshly, doing anything I could to make him see I needed him to free me from this torture.

"Hiei...!"

At my pained cry, he returned my feverish kisses. Lowering me down onto the bed, he leaned over me. His fingers stroked me once and I bucked up against his hand, seeking his experienced touch, but he pulled away after that playful sweep. I gave a harsh sob. Even to my ears, I could hear my own distress.

I sat up when he moved away, ready to wrap my arms around him, but he fell to his knees before me on the carpeted floor. His hands went right under my bottom to pull me forward until I was sitting right on the very edge of the mattress.

"What –"

My words were cut off when he jerked my panties down off roughly. They flew somewhere over his shoulder. It was as he was slipping his arms beneath my legs that I understood what he was trying to do.

It didn't seem right, like it was too wicked and nasty. I tried to squirm away, my hands going to his shoulders to push him away from me. He responded with a savage growl, as if he were a wolf guarding his food.

"No, not there!" My already flushed cheeks burned even more when he gave me a piercing look, because it seemed awkward to have him livid while I was completely naked. "I know what you're trying to do and it's –"

"I'm trying to help you."

My mouth worked for some reason to stop his actions, because for him to taste me down there seemed horrid. I didn't think it would taste –

Quickly, he lifted my legs with the muscles of his forearms and I fell back onto the bed with a startled cry. Strong hands reached up to trap my own forearms against the mattress to keep me from moving. In such an unstable position, I could hardly move within his hold. I was trapped in a humiliating way with no way to twist or turn, his hands pushing my arms down into the mattress with my attempted struggles. I gave a sharp squeal when he nipped extremely close to my sensitive area with his fangs. His breath down there came out harshly and I jerked at the warm feeling of it.

"UUUUNNNNNN!"

It was fast, the smooth muscle of his tongue that plunged inside of me. I could feel his tongue fluttering around viciously and I tried to break free from his hold to grab onto something, afraid that I would go flying off the mattress. His fingers curled even more around my arms and I fisted the sheets beneath my hands tightly.

The ceiling above me began to spin, taking the streaks of lightning with it. My hearing kept going in and out with my pleasured screams – there inside my head, then off in the far distance. I was almost choking with gasps at the frenzied flicks of his tongue and my legs slid off his shoulders to sit in the groove of his elbows. Hiei growled and the sound reverberated inside me, as if to reprimand my wild thrashing that had caused my legs to fall.

Releasing one of my wrists, he placed his hand beneath the back of my right knee. With another vicious growl, he pushed my leg up even higher into the air and off to the side, holding it there to continue his onslaught.

At the new angle, my hips tried to thrust up against his face, seeking mindlessly for the thrusts of his tongue, but my lower half was too far over the edge, having shifted during his re-positioning, and I couldn't get enough leverage. I could feel his tongue gliding in and out in a feverish rhythm to answer the urgency of my body's plea for release. Then, his tongue seemed to ripple, sending waves of unbelievable pleasure to soar up over my body.

I couldn't breathe. I didn't know if I was anymore. My free hand remained digging into the mattress, too afraid to release it's hold on the sheets. The electrifying heat that had spread throughout my body began contracting, zipped all the way down to the pit of my stomach, and there it pulsed in a frenzy. It seemed to grow tighter and tighter, each pulse spurred on by his invading tongue.

And it finally burst, split right open in several directions that zig-zagged all the way up to my head. A strangled moan drifted from my lips in a howling sort of way. My legs trembled with the dying pulses and if he wasn't supporting them, they would have slumped down to the ground, dragging me with them to the floor.

I whimpered when he began licking again, but his touch was light and calm. I was extremely sensitve beneath the tip of his tongue and my hips drew away to keep him from doing anything further to upset me. He gave a small, dark chuckle and I mewled in response, needing to answer his voice.

Hiei slid me up to the middle of the bed and I closed my eyes drowsily, feeling like a rag doll beneath his hands. He disappeared for a moment and I rested for a few seconds, trying to calm my rapid heartbeat.

I was waiting for the connection to drag me into a coma-like state, as it had done the first time. I had felt a brief jolt of pleasure that night before the connection's hands wrapped around me. But there was nothing there now to steal me away from this carnal rapture.

The bed dipped to the side of me and familiar rough fingertips brushed along the column of my throat. Opening my eyes, I stared up at Hiei where he was half-sprawled on top of me and I expected him to be smirking at my disheveled state, but his expression was one of soft pride and satisfaction. He was casually resting his head atop his palm and peering down into my eyes, regarding me quietly.

When my breathing began evening out, he brushed aside my sweaty bangs, asking seriously, "better?"

My already flushed cheeks lit up again. Instead of answering him directly, I mumbled shyly. "... thank you."

"How long have you been like that?"

His question was referring to my extreme need that had built up over the past few days and I ducked my eyes in shame, as I was unused to admitting to him about my own needs.

He must think I'm selfish. I had acted completely wanton, screaming out for his help, but when he had tried to approach me for his own needs, I had told him repeatedly that I was not ready. Unlike me, he had immediately heeded to my cries. I couldn't imagine going through that again, because now I understood how fiercely the need built up when it went unanswered.

How long had he suffered?

"I'm sorry," I apologized, pinning my eyes to the beams of the canopy above the bed.

"I don't want anymore apologies. I've told you that." Hiei placed a hand on the other side of my head and held himself over me, his lips moving slowly along my damp forehead.

"But you suffered, too, and all those times I kept saying no –"

Lifting his head up sharply, he glared down into my eyes. "My needs weren't quite that intense until recently, but unlike you, I acted on it and took my fill from you greedily. You have nothing to apologize for – there will never be anything you need to apologize for with me. "

"I'm not... disappointing for you in bed?" I asked in a hushed tone, somewhat afraid of his answer. "I've never – I mean, I couldn't," I flushed in embarrassment, "finish with you and you were mad at me. You wouldn't even look at me." My words drifted off into the gloom of the room.

Hiei's glare softened. "I was angered at myself for treating you like that again. I know better than to act in such a way." He placed a kiss on the edge of my chin before sucking gently on the skin. "_I _disappointed you. I didn't take my time to touch you like this." My flesh broke out in tiny bumps, as his hand slid along the length of my body. "To make you feel good like you had unknowingly done for me. Your pain was my pleasure, yet you didn't stop me because I had scared you, didn't I?"

He didn't seem to expect an answer, because he was speaking against my body. His lips glided along the edge of my chin, speaking against the flesh in a low rumble.

"You should have stopped me," he whispered, applying suction to the side of my throat. "Why didn't you stop me from hurting you like that?"

_Because I love you_, I answered silently.

As he continued to speak, I closed my eyes to his soft petting. His fingertips moved sensually beneath the curve of my right breast, sliding over the small bumps breaking out in waves upon my skin.

"You respond so well to me, Karen." Kissing the top of each breast, Hiei began slathering the rest of my body with soft kisses. "But you're new to this, you didn't quite understand your body's need for me. Is that why you've been dressing up for me Karen, why you've done this," his fingertip rasped over the trail of hair at the junction of my thighs. "Were you trying to get my attention?"

My brows knitted together, thinking over the past few days, and I knew where most of my frustration had stemmed from – I missed him. It was as if I always get teased with his presence. I get him for one day, all to myself, but after that, I had to share him with everyone else. Lately, he was gone all day and I was left alone, trying to figure out what I could do to enliven his time when he arrived home at night. I think I tried so hard to make the few hours I had with him good, memorable, to try to be selfishly more important than his responsibilities for Spirit World.

"Yes," I breathed, more seriously than the conversation called for, and I felt the prickle of tears gathering in my eyes. "I'm lonely without you. Everyone gets you for the day and I get you for a few hours at night..."

Hiei's face moved over me again, taking in the small undertone of my words. I suddenly felt slighty embarrassed to have utter those words, because I hadn't meant to sound needy. I wasn't or at least, I tried not to be, but my words were just passing thoughts.

"You have my entire attention right now." He answered quietly, responding to my deep, more intimate thoughts, not with a glare, but with a simple answer.

And I did have his entire attention tonight, which was what made me want to return the pleasure he had given me – again, just trying to create a memorable memory for him when he returned back to his many duties.

While he was busy stroking the curve of my hip, I shifted toward him and glanced downward. A full bloom of pink spread across my face when I saw that he was completely naked beside me.

I now knew why the first two times had hurt so much. He was all male and well endowed, visible by his sheer length and thickness. I had no idea how he had even fit inside me. It seemed impossible when I compared it to my own self. The bulbuous head stared up at me to make my face heat up even more, but I chased away my shyness with a nibble to my lower lip.

Swallowing nervously, I reached down to touch him. Hiei must not have been paying attention to my movements or expecting me to make a move, because the moment my fingers touched him, he wrapped a hand around my wrist with a stunned curse.

"I was just... I was trying to," I stammered, searching for the correct wording. "A... A handjob?

"What," he asked in disbelief.

I was burning with embarrassment as I repeated my words. "H-Handjob."

Then, his eyes went murky. "Say it again."

I almost didn't want to, because I was wondering if he was making fun of me. Still, I mumbled it. "... handjob."

Licking his lips, he leaned down and captured my lips roughly. There was a strange sort of taste on his tongue. I realized it was what I tasted like and mixed with his own unique, fiery flavor, it drew me in with a curling moan.

"Not tonight," he answered with a flick of his tongue.

"But I didn't do anything yet!"

Capturing my hand before I could touch him again, he said in a husky voice, "you're doing plenty for me right now."

"I'm... curious."

Hiei gave a shuddering breath, one that was almost too quiet to catch in the rumble of thunder that kept making the windows rattle with its every roar. Slowly, he placed my hand against the flat underside of his length. He was hot, pulsing hot. I could feel him throbbing within my light hold and I gave an experimental squeeze. His fingers tightened around my wrist and he clenched his eyes shut, as if he were in pain.

"T-that doesn't hurt, does it?" I asked worriedly.

"No," he bit out between clenched teeth. "Your touch is...exquisite."

Feeling braver, I slid my hand along him all the way to bottom and back up, in one slow motion, still careful to not hurt him. He groaned into my shoulder, but allowed me to continue for a couple of more times before pulling my hand away.

"That's enough."

"Why? Am I not doing it right?"

Laughing quietly, he grabbed my hands and pinned them to either side of my head. "_Too _right," he answered with a little lick to my lips.

"Then," I furrowed my brows, trying to understand him. "Why can't I finish? D-Do you want me to... to... use my mouth?"

Hiei groaned harshly, voice straining in aggravation. "You always make everything so difficult," he rasped angrily, but he seemed more angry at himself than me. He rested his face against my neck, breathing sharply through his nose to reign in his control. "Tonight isn't about me. I had my turn – twice." He nuzzled against my neck, lips beginning to kiss downward along the length of skin. "I just want you to relax for me, Karen."

He pushed himself up, crimson eyes piercing through the darkness to stare heatedly down at my nude body. Having been distracted by the urgent events from earlier, I was more aware of my appearance. He was staring so intensely that I felt as if he were dissecting me, his eyes tracing every fault along my flesh. I had never been naked before in front of him and to be so now, with him seeing everything, was a tad terrifying.

I didn't know how I looked to him and began thinking of the other women before me, wondering if he was comparing me to them. I wanted to hide from him and cover myself up before he could find something displeasing about me.

When he removed his hands to glide them along my arms, I tried to lower them, but he stopped me with a rough demand. "Keep them there."

A flash of light struck and illuminated my nude form, revealing to him the light sheen of sweat covering my flushed skin. Biting my lip, I forced my hands to remain where they were and curled my fingers around the pointed ends of the pillow beneath my head.

"Relax," he murmured, brushing his mouth along the curve of my breast. "I've wanted to see you for so long, just like this. Don't be nervous now, it's just me."

Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly with the next clap of thunder. I closed my eyes, seeking comfort beneath the dark of my eyelids to help chase away my fears over my appearance.

With my eyes shut, his touch and the light kisses all seem to magnify, pooling together to entertain my senses. The way his hands moved, so leisurely, had my skin rippling to life beneath his fingertips. He didn't pay any area too much attention, but just enough to cause me to tighten my hold on the pillow and roll my hips upward in small, needy gestures.

Down his lips went, between the valley of my breasts, along the side of my ribcage, trailing down the smooth expanse of my stomach, and there he paused to tongue my navel with a ragged groan. Letting go of one end of the pillow, I reached down to him with the need to feel him – his hair – face – anything.

"Put it back up," he demanded sharply.

Whimpering, I threw my hand back beside my head. "Hiei –"

"Your sensitive here, aren't you?" he asked while biting the rim of my navel.

I heaved upward, pushing myself against him in answer to his question. Hiei continued to pay my stomach extra special attention with his mouth until I was moaning his name. His hand moved down to rub the top of my thigh and my legs automatically parted for him, trusting him openly. He grunted in appeciation and dragged his mouth downward, fangs scraping along with his descent. Hiei gave one long lick between the junction of my thighs and I twisted the ends of the pillow with a loud gasp. I wanted him to continue, but he was stretching out beside me again.

"Ooh!"

I wasn't expecting him to reach down and caress me between my legs, but heat flared up inside of me at the rough sensations of his fingertips. My body was becoming acclimated to his, knowing him more intimately, and responding with a surge of electrifying jolts.

"On the pillow."

I gave a frustrated growl when he demanded my hands back to their resting place, but he rewarded me with an insert of his finger. Giving a long, wailing moan, I spread my legs even wider, craving his touch. It started up again, this furious need for release, but this time I recognized it, knowing where to seek relief.

After a few slow pumps, he added another finger and I began thrashing at the immense pleasure surging through my veins. The pillows on either side of me went flying off the mattress and I no longer cared about keeping my hold onto the pillow beneath my head. I grabbed it and flung it off to the side in a wild protest.

"I can't wait much longer," he rasped huskily into my ear. "I need you."

My eyes fluttered open, peering up at him in the gloom, as he removed his hand and settled between my legs. His rigid length fell against my lower stomach and I stiffened at the pulsating heat of his member. Breathing harshly above me, he reached down and aligned himself against my entrance. I lifted my head up a tad, eyes straining downward to where he was pressed against me. With the next flash of lightning, I saw him – all of him – and the sight caused an odd whimper to gurgle up from my throat.

"Shhh," he shushed.

Meeting his eyes, I reminded him in a whisper against his mouth. "S-Slow."

His arms slid beneath my shoulders and his hands came up to cradle my head. Bracing himself on his elbows, he rested his forehead against mine. Shakily, I rested my hands along his sides, squeezing him fearfully while waiting for him to move. He gave a muffled hiss and pushed foward, sliding into me slowly with soothing words into my ear. Again, it didn't sound like words at all, just soft noises that had me answering with mewling cries.

I shuddered with every inch of him, as he began stretching me. There wasn't any pain, but I tensed around him anyways, causing him to curse softly above me. Finally, I arched, my body straining to adjust to him and in doing so, dragged him in even further inside of me. Giving a harsh groan, he entered me fully and rested there with our lower halves completely joined. His member pulsed violently, seeming to match the furious pace of my heart.

I didn't feel anything at first, just the intrusion of his length. Pulling his hips back, he withdrew with a shaky breath and I closed my eyes, concentrating on tuning out any pain to come if there should be any. His pace was slow and gentle, but I focused on breathing. I drowned out the world. I drowned out the storm. I drowned out the demon above me.

"Karen, I need you," he repeated again, almost desperately, his voice trembling into my ear.

My eyes flew open and met his in the darkness.

There was a strained look in his eyes. It was a cruel need for me and it hit me with full force. To be wanted this much was overwhelming and it tugged at something deep within me. His eyes were completely focused on me. In that moment, I was everything he needed, what he had to have to survive. He had never said it, but his eyes spoke volumes. I was more beautiful than the very sun that lit up the worlds. The barrier I had placed around my mind began to shatter into pieces and the outside world charged in with full force.

"I need you." He buried his face into the groove of my neck, whispering in a pleading way for me to respond to him. "C'mon, you can do it. _I need you!"_

Thunder rattled the windows and with his next thrust, a surge of pleasure vibrated throughout my body.

_'I want you to remember how you felt just then.'_

The memory of his words had my arms encircling him around his waist. Like that night in the temple, a surge of wildness streaked through me. My thighs spread wider to clasp him around his hips and I pushed my feet into the mattress to press my hips up into his next thrust. Lifting his head up in stunned disbelief at my actions, Hiei glanced down into my eyes and I saw my own stormy gaze reflecting back at me.

It was just that look, what had been missing from our first joining, as if we were seeing each other for the first time. Something snapped. Something hissed. It was like that night in the park where every known calamity in the world seemed to occur, just crashing in a domino effect. The connection went haywire, sizzled violently, and a veil lifted from my eyes. If I had thought I had seen him before, I _saw _him now. He was clear, beautiful and magnificent, eyes brimming with intensity, and I smiled softly up at him.

Hiei responded with a primal growl and his hand flew down to my hip, grasping the curve of my backside to lift me even more against him.

The effect was immediate. The pleasure hit me so hard, as if I had taken a hit to the chest and I nearly stopped breathing. My heart skipped a beat, began stuttering with the staggering amount of rippling sensations. It was so hot. My skin was overheating, flushing into several shades of pink, as if he had taken a handful of ash and blew them over me where they landed to embed themselves with flaming kisses.

I was feverish now, needing more than his gentle pace. Hiei was in tune with my body, reading the signs of my own desperate need, as if he could feel it quaking within my very bones. He pushed himself up onto his hands and increased his pace. His name rolled off my tongue amidst my echoing screams and together, they danced about the entire house, moved with the storm clashing against the walls, and sailed overhead like a roaring beast.

Pulse working in overdrive, I felt every muscle in my body clenching, even muscles I had never even known I had, beneath him and around him, flexing with his every movement. Uncontrollable gasps fell from my lips, my throat working in a frenzy to answer his rumbling growls. Reaching up with my hands, I dragged his face down to mine and he met my mouth with his in a brutal kiss. Our tongues moved along with our bodies and became caverns for the other's pleasured noises.

It felt like he was killing me. My nerve endings were trembling, confused at where to turn, what to do, and just kept sitting there to endure the strained sensations. It throbbed more than ever where we joined, the pulses out of whack, until it finally broke free.

I tore my mouth away from Hiei's and threw my head back with a scream. The explosion tore through me, poured throughout my body like a flood. Blood rushed up to my head and thundered loudly, washing away every sound – my scream – the storm – his guttural growls – blinding me with a flash of colors that mixed quickly to dim my vision into darkness. It was powerful and swept me up with an animalistic roar, somewhere up high where I didn't think I'd ever return to the ground.

Teeth clamped down onto my shoulder, and like the rush of crashing waves, Hiei's harsh groan of release caused my body to spasm around him. His fingers dug into the skin along my hips, nails digging in with the sudden spill of his seed that seemed to go on and on...

For a long time, he stayed like that, just crushing me against him with his teeth bruising into my skin. He didn't break the skin, but I could feel his jaw flexing as he tried to control his more primal ways. Then, he collasped on top of me with heavy, exhausted breathing. Whispered coos left my lips to soothe his fatigue and I brushed my fingers through his sweaty hair. My heart drummed up against his chest and he lazily licked at my neck, tasting the throb of my pulse.

"Don't," I mumbled drowsily when he made to roll off of me.

"Too... heavy."

I kissed his shoulder, murmuring quietly, "I can handle it."

He gave a ragged protest, but remained unmoving while I cradled him with my body. This time he fell asleep to my hands running through his hair and the lingering kisses against his heated shoulder.

...

...

...

Sunlight hit me full in the face and I cracked open an eye, peering out through a bleary vision. Seeing the sun shining through the opened curtains, I gave a small moan and pressed my face into the mattress to avoid the light.

After a few minutes, when it was apparent that the sun meant to keep me from sleep, I pushed my self up with a grimace. My muscles ached, throbbing in a gentle hum, but I ignored the pain to sit up completely. Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, the sheet covering me tugged away to reveal my lack of clothing. I blushed slightly and tucked the sheet more firmly around me.

I would have like to ask myself if last night was a memory, but there were three other times of extended steamy sessions that chased away such a naive question. My body was quivering with exhaustion, especially my legs, as they felt numb. Despite the exhaustion and sore, aching muscles, there was a pleasant feeling of contentment, like an after glow of the euphoria from last night's, and this morning's, activities.

I'm sure there would have been more sessions between us, but Hiei seemed to understand that anymore pleasure would drive me into a coma. I turned eagerly to him every time he called my name or touched me, but everything that had happened, this new, pleasant phase in my life, had overloaded my mind into a bone-weary mess.

But he was gone.

I stared at his empty side of the bed, wondering when he had left for Spirit World. It wasn't anything new that I had missed seeing him off, because sometimes I slept too heavily to hear him leave.

Even though I had little sleep last night, I was too high off of this trickling bliss to sleep anymore. Besides, I had always had trouble sleeping without Hiei.

A shadow flickered from the side of my vision and I turned my head, my eyes widening when they met a familiar face. He had a screw driver in one hand and now I remember what exactly had awakened me besides the sunshine. My eyes slipped past him to regard the door, which was now attached back to the doorframe, as if it hadn't slid off the hinges from a rash kick.

"I thought you had left already," I murmured sleepily.

Crouching down before me, he set the tool on the night stand before tilting his face up to regard me with a calm gaze. "I've cleared my schedule for the weekend."

"The... entire weekend?"

Hiei didn't answer. His eyes strayed to the opening of my make-shift clothing and he peeled it away from me. My breathing hitched, but I sat there calmly and let him undress me. There was still the need to be self-conscious, but I trusted him too much to shy away. Still, the room was lit up in an astounding amount of light and I had to force myself to keep from pulling the sheets across my front.

"Are you okay," he asked.

Meeting his eyes, I chewed my lip thoughtfully. "Well, I'm really hungry."

Hiei moved his hand down to the inside of my thigh, saying seriously, "I meant here."

My lips formed a circle, as I breathed a silent 'oh'. I ached a lot, but it wasn't anything too serious. I doubt I could walk though, considering I couldn't feel my legs.

"I was too rough earlier," he explained, informing me of our recent act a couple of hours ago. "You're still getting used to me." Placing a kiss on my knee, he pushed the sheets back in place. "You bled a little on the sheets."

Craning my neck, I searched for any signs of blood, but the bed was too messy for me to look properly. Honestly, I hadn't felt any pain throughout our lovemaking, which was what I called it (I'm not sure what he addressed it as). It felt almost unreal, to be seeing him as my lover. I was brimming with happiness that swirled around my head, singing a melodic song of a promising paradise. The song was one of my own inner joy where it danced rapturously, while on the outside I controlled it with a gentle smile.

"Do you really have this weekend off?" I whispered down at him, ignoring his question about my well-being.

"Yes."

Thining about the many times he had told me he would have an afternoon off, but would end up staying for some up-coming matter, I cupped his cheeks and asked shyly, "... do you promise?"

His eyes moved to my mouth, tracing the curve of my lips. "Yes."

Ecstatic, I leaned down and kissed him softly. Gathering me into his arms, he lifted me off the bed and headed toward the door.

"Where are we going?"

"We're taking a bath."

Blushing, I blinked up at him. "... together?"

He smirked.

Later, I realized that his way of bathing was _very _different than the way I bathed.

* * *

A/N: Well, somehow I managed to write this entire thing without any vulgar words. I pushed the rating, but it's not that explicit when you take out the vulgarity in it. It should be okay, I think. I'll tell you right now, writing scenes like this is hard in first person. Anyways, I was listening to **Degausser by Brand New** when I wrote this. I thought it was kind of haunting. I hope I did you guys justice. This was for all of you who have been waiting. I don't usually ask for it, but **review** this piece, please. It's pretty much my first real "**lemon**". The other one didn't count - so let me know how I did. I love you guys and see you soon!

Thanks to **akasoeki** for beta-reading and always encouraging me!

P.S: I also have two drawings of Karen (one's with Hiei and another is with his dragon) on deviant art. There is another on the way that will be over a fun scene from chapter 15. My daily snippets on my profile seemed to be really hitting off, too. Thanks! If you want to thank my sister personally, her pen name on this site is BuzzLazy. Love, peace, and a little bit of chicken grease!


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